What Does it Mean to Say Youre Powerless Over Drugs and Alcohol?

And sometimes it puts you in the hospital by causing mental problems such as suicidal ideation. But if it puts you in the hospital, you have a problem–normal people don’t drink themselves into the hospital. Any substance or activity can be considered an addiction–from drinking to video games, addictions alter your life. If your addiction altered your life, then it has the power–you are powerless over your addiction.

• With that said, there is often some confusion about apprehension towards the steps and the concept of powerlessness.
• Some other differences–taking your medication typically keeps you out of the hospital.
• Are you ready to achieve liberation and strength over your destructive drinking habits?
• This understanding of the word obsession explains why we keep going back to pick up the first drink or drug.
• In the meantime, you can explore AA in combination with your current therapy routine.

Our primary mission is to provide a clear path to a life of healing and restoration. We offer renowned clinical care and have the compassion and professional expertise to guide you toward lasting recovery. You know that alcohol is bad news for you, you are convinced, and nothing can make you return to drinking. In order to progress to steps two through twelve, you must embrace step one. You will be unable to go further in your recovery if you cannot recognize that you and alcohol do not mix. “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”

Powerless Over Alcohol

Each day, I would gaze at my reflection, through yellow watering eyes, longing to see someone I recognized. I would often pray for God to just take me, as I would have welcomed death over the lifeless existence I was suffering through. With each morning sunbeam, I realized the disappointment of having to endure another day with the bottle.

• It’s because the 12 Steps are worded and crafted precisely to take you to the next step.
• This is the powerless aspect of the disease – I was powerless over whether I drank or used.
• The dictionary defines powerless as being without the power to do something or prevent something from happening.
• 12-step programs have been statistically shown to have a 5-10% success rate.
• Call (844) 234-LIVE today for information on our partial care programs.

They may feel like they have little choice but to continue using drugs or alcohol because they lack alternatives. AA is a recovery program for multiracial men and women who are suffering from an alcohol use disorder. Through companionship, mutual respect, and shared experiences, AA members come together to maintain abstinence from alcohol and build sober lives.

Myth 4: You Must Seek A “Higher Power” or Turn to Religion

Whether or not you have a problem with alcohol, how often have you heard the phrase “honesty is the best policy”? There’s a reason for that—being honest with yourself and others is key to living the kind of rich, self-assured, fulfilling life that we all want. John C. Umhau, MD, MPH, CPE is board-certified in addiction medicine and preventative medicine. For over 20 years Dr. Umhau was a senior clinical investigator at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Getting help from others at a treatment facility and in peer recovery groups can benefit your sobriety.
• When we choose to see vulnerability as an act of courage rather than weakness, we create possibilities and move more fully toward the person we want to be.
• You may view alcoholism as a weakness of your character or will, but this view may hinder your ability to accept you have an alcohol use disorder.
• Excessive alcohol use not only leads to more than 140,000 deaths nationally each year but can also cause lives to spin out of control.
• Whether or not you have a problem with alcohol, how often have you heard the phrase “honesty is the best policy”?
• Recovery Connection is the ultimate addiction recovery resource portal for information on the latest treatments, centers, and programs.

With that said, there is often some confusion about apprehension towards the steps and the concept of powerlessness. We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable. By asking a HP to handle these things, I move toward acceptance of my powerlessness and choose therefore to direct my time and energies toward areas where I am not powerless. There’s a big difference between prescribed medication and self-medicating. For starters, antidepressants don’t turn into formaldehyde in your liver like alcohol does, according to my psychiatrist. Another thing–antidepressants don’t work on people who don’t have a mental illness, whereas alcohol affects everybody.

Powerless Over Alcohol: Giving Up My Best Friend

Admitting powerlessness is essentially waving the white flag and recognizing that you cannot try to drink anymore. History has proven that you have no control once a drop of alcohol enters your body. If you can grasp this knowledge, you will become a recovering, strong person. Recovery is about accepting that alcohol does not add to your life. The group has a lot of information online about its history and philosophy. A crucial part of completing AA Step one revolves around admitting powerlessness.

It’s not easy to admit our inability resist alcohol or internal humiliation, but you’re not alone. If you want to reap the positive benefits of AA, you must accept your alcoholic abuse disorder and its consequences. Your sobriety will remain unpredictable, and you won’t find any enduring strength until you can admit defeat. Step 1 of AA can be one of the most difficult on your journey to sobriety. You must first admit powerless over alcohol and be honest with yourself about the situation. You might not be ready the first time you decide to attend a meeting.

Myths and Misunderstandings About AA Step 1

We’ve had good reasons to quit for good, and we continued drinking or using drugs anyway. This understanding of the word obsession explains why we keep going back to pick up the first drink or drug. It makes so much sense when powerless over alcohol we look back at our behaviors—the threat of relationships ending, poor health, work-life, bad decisions, legal trouble, etc. We’re powerless when our mind is obsessing, so it’s nearly impossible to make the right decision.

A third difference–you can usually predict how a medication will affect you after taking it for a while. There is very little variation on a successful medication regimen., but when it comes to alcohol, you never know how you’ll react if you’re using it to self-medicate. In my active addiction, alcohol frequently caused more problems than it helped me forget. As addiction begins to overtake your life, you lie to yourself about what is happening.