What would someone with many years of sobriety say to a struggling alcoholic about the 12 Steps?
As a man who had long ago surrendered to the power of alcohol, I was nearly dead when a girlfriend took me, reluctant, to a meeting.
I was reluctant — she was desperately concerned for my being.
I saw that to recover I had to surrender to a new power, but first, I needed to admit that I was powerless over alcohol. This awareness, for me, was the key.
In the last few decades, I have witnessed a lot of miracles, and many more devastating disappointments, deaths, and disasters.
The willingness to admit powerlessness is the most likely factor in success in recovery. I admitted it at that first meeting, and then went out and got smashed the next day!
Such is the power of alcohol.
It may take many attempts at letting go before the miracle occurs. The obsession to drink is so powerful that without desperation and complete abandon, we are scarcely able to survive.
Acceptance is the key.
Accepting the notion that I can stay sober for one day with the help of others and a Higher Power is the next stage.
The meetings helped me realize that whilst my rock-bottom was nearly fatal, others have recovered from worse and are living to tell the story in thousands of places every day around the globe.
I accepted (eventually) that I could stay sober until the next meeting, but I'd better get there quickly.
Then, it's into action.
With the help of someone who has already been through the process, I began to learn about myself and how to live without drinking alcohol. (Thank God for coffee!)
