| Alcoholics Anonymous have their Twelve Steps, as | | | | If we only cast our minds back, for instance, to |
| do other recovery programs. Step One is: | | | | yesterday we'll find that somewhere along the line |
| We admitted we were powerless over [alcohol]-that | | | | we compromised where we shouldn't have, or we |
| our lives had become unmanageable. | | | | made a promise we couldn't or wouldn't keep or we |
| That is where I got to, and not just with alcohol. I | | | | said something that wasn't true. We weren't true to |
| must admit that I've been prone to things all through | | | | ourselves. This is not something to get down about |
| life where I just had to say, 'God, I just can't control | | | | or to lose sleep over; it's just the way we are. It's a |
| this thing.' This is why I placed square parentheses | | | | big part of the reason why we need God in our lives. |
| around "alcohol," for it's not only alcohol we often | | | | Knowing this fact, however, is power for us because |
| have trouble managing... it can be any number of | | | | when we establish a weakness to a particular thing |
| things. | | | | we know that we're especially weak to it i.e. we're |
| And yet, self control is not really an issue in many | | | | especially dishonest with ourselves about it. We've |
| other areas of our lives is it? - self control in this way | | | | established the habit for it. |
| is rather selective. Or rather, it weakens us | | | | All we need to do, however, is ensure there are |
| selectively, I should say. | | | | good sound ways of keeping ourselves accountable |
| Admitting we're powerless over something in our | | | | to the truth. Admitting our powerlessness over the |
| lives, particularly a sensate - something that | | | | thing that has kept us captive is the first step... |
| massages and nourishes the senses - is but the first | | | | The second step is, of course, coming "to believe |
| step in gaining victory and hence liberation from the | | | | that a Power greater than ourselves [God] could |
| tormenting force it usually becomes. | | | | restore us to sanity," which I'll leave for a separate |
| And we have every chance of recovering | | | | article. |
| completely, if we're honest. | | | | Over some things we will be powerless. It is only |
| Those who do not recover [from whatever ails them | | | | God that can truly help us with these. Honesty with |
| - not simply alcohol] are people who cannot or will | | | | God is centrally about surrendering our issues of |
| not completely give themselves to this simple | | | | dependency and addiction to him - the irony of giving |
| program, usually men and women who are | | | | up what we can't keep to find what we cannot lose. |
| constitutionally incapable of being honest with | | | | © 2010 S. J. Wickham. |
| themselves. | | | | [1] Alcoholics Anonymous, The Big Book (4th Ed) |
| Honesty is the final, lasting salve for the wound - our | | | | (New York City, New York, Alcoholics Anonymous |
| problem that has haunted us. And we all struggle far | | | | World Services, Inc., 1939, 1955, 1976, 2001), p. 58. I |
| too much with this issue when we consider it just a | | | | have added the information in italics in the square |
| little more. | | | | parentheses. |