Sobriety Begins With a Single Step
Are you still drinking? Do you think you want to stop? The first step is -- well, it's Step One.
"We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable."
Notice nothing in this first of the 12 Steps says don't drink. It's merely an admission that alcohol has crippled our lives and we are spiraling out of control.
A.A.'s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions points out that none of us wants to admit defeat in anything, least of all defeat in our own precious lives. But coming to terms with our powerlessness over the demon rum is essential to taking back control of ourselves.
"We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built."
Happy. Purposeful. Sound enticing?
"We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable."Notice nothing in this first of the 12 Steps says don't drink. It's merely an admission that alcohol has crippled our lives and we are spiraling out of control.
A.A.'s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions points out that none of us wants to admit defeat in anything, least of all defeat in our own precious lives. But coming to terms with our powerlessness over the demon rum is essential to taking back control of ourselves.
"We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built."
Happy. Purposeful. Sound enticing?
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