Its my opinion people that are not in the program have to come to terms with being powerless of alcohol before there journey of recovery can start. Admitting there life was unmanageable,


As the reading says its up to us to be responsible for are own recovery , are attitude toward others,& being a productive person in society.

nice thread thank you

Gratitude for what has been given to me, instead of wanting everything outside of me to "fix" me. What can I bring to the table today instead of take away?

Getting out of my cheap self. That's power from another source.

Powerlessness over people, places, and things gave me a sense of freedom. I really work the program it really doesn't bother me much what people think of me like it use too and getting better at it each and every year that I stay sober. In our country we are so quick to bash people, it really use to have a hold on me when people put me down, but it all came from the way I was brought up my dad and mom never gave me any positive feedback.
Once you are powerless over alcohol that is when you can do something about it, alcoholism grips every part of a persons being and who they are, so you really have to get powerless and give it up to start building a better and stronger foundation to recover on. Once you do that you will be amazed out how life can be. LIfe is very simple but we want to complicate it. Also once I stopped nit picking the program and just did what it said to do it came so easy after that, instead of trying to incorporate my old ideals to suit my program I had to give up all my old ideals and build a foundation I can grow on.

Sounds idealistic Mikein..... Great to speak for the time but harder to practice AA with the lack of positive "feedback" from your Mom & Dad and that is obvious.. Been there and it takes a lot of regrouping and change. Keep changing that conditioning. AA does help it but you are not giving others that freedom here. Actually, you are an asshole set in your own thinking and expect others to think the way you do. Break away brother and live!

Oh, and new peeps.... My asshole comment is a result of his slap in my face on another thread which was undeserved and unexpected. Just spoke my thoughts and not against him... Mikein.... can get fucked (just from me) imo. He tried to humiliate me and it may have worked, or not. I just keep moving on and glad he has the "answer" because I sure don't. Maybe the moral compass is leaning toward the blue moon imho. Doubt it....

i personally don't believe that we are powerless over alcohol - but I am not an AAer either - i do support those who use that train of thought.

What I do think is that until we get our brains on track we are powerless at making good decisions as alcoholism is a 1 branch of addiction and even if you choose not to drink but are not digging to the roots of the tree - your gonna crawl out on a different branch.

Many times when you do start getting to the roots, if you are one that has an extremely addictive personality - you just find yourself crawling on all sorts of branches.

Powerless over alcohol no I don't believe that, powerless over ourselves yes I do believe that, once you get a grip on your life and yourself you have the power to make the right decisions. Not everything will be perfect and mistakes will be made along the way - but to know that you didn't use to cover something up, that you are facing life on life's terms and dealing with issues - now that's power -

all of this is my opinion of course - alcohol has no power over me, alcohol caused a lot of damage and misery in my life but it wasn't because it was more powerful than i it was because i allowed it, i made the choice and i chose to relinquish the power i had to something - that something didn't control me, even in my worse addiction time - i lost control of myself (well since my partying started so young I don't htink I ever had control of myself)

i just don't believe that a substance, an object can have power over someone, when you do not have your mind and soul in a good spot - you are subject to losing and subjecting yoruself to misery by filling voids in excess whatever you u choose to fill those voids

- i do believe that God has power over us all - but he's nto a substance and he's not an object - he is God

Again, i know this is the 1st thing that AA teaches is that yu are powerless of alcohol, i just beg to have a different train of thought on that.

Peace!

Yes we all have are own opinion& exp.. From my exp. if I don't think I'm powerless over the drink all I have to is take the 1st drink & see what happens. The craving & obsession returns & I'm on my way again.
That's what I mean by being powerless. My best thinking got me to a point of no return until what glad2bee talked about that power from another source which for me I call my personal HP.

In my first comment #1 I guess I could have used a better choice of words about people not into the program AA or some other type.

Everything hinges - and comes back to - Step 1. I know that relying on my own power means I will drink again as sure as night follows day. On my own power, although I may do well in thinking the drink through or actually picking up the phone to speak to my sponsor or someone, the next drink is on its way - guaranteed delivery, I just don't know when exactly.

As the Big Book says, there are certain times when I suffer from "strange mental blank spots" that erase my power of reason when the mental obsession is upon me. That is why I am powerless and my life is unmanageable - it's not about how many driving offences I incurred or how many marriages I lost. Although these things take their toll, the real unmanageable aspect is always my deluded thinking and mental blank spots.

Only God could do for me what I could not do for myself. I have to put in my best effort and God sorts out the rest. My reliance must be upon Him or I die. I am a recovered alcoholic and so the problem has been removed but I am not cured and there is always the caveat that my daily reprieve is contingent on my spiritual condition. That and carrying the message.

i don't think AA is wrong I just choose to believe differently.

I think the best way in which we can have any power in recovery is that we are given that power which God (as we understand Him) gives us to help others and see them recover, that is priceless.

Good post, thank you.

I know I am powerless over alcohol. I know one more sip is going to lead me right back down that slippery slope. My higher power, I call God. He is in control, I'm not. When I choose to turn my life over to Him and follow His way, not mine, I live a better life. With His way, I have His power. With my way, I have no power.

Where does that quote tell us that we are powerless over 'people places and things?'

Oh yeah, it doesn't does it!

If we are powerless over people how come we end up doing so much harm to those in our lives huh???