My 1st step tells me that I am "powerless and unmanageable." I have never found anything in the AA book that tells me that I will regain power and manageability. It only talks about a restoration to sanity. " And we have ceased fighting anything oranyone--even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned." AAbook pg84.
For me, the 1st step says I am "powerless over alcohol." And that "my li[fe] had become unmanageable."
My active alcoholic life became unmanageable. But I can and did change in recovery. I can manage me. Of course, it requres sobriety and a lot of help.
If I lead a good life, in recovery, I regain the power to:
reason (well)
choose/decide
discover
do service
do good works
be a good citizen
to do God's will
I am not powerless over everything. Just powerless over most things.
-- Edited by Tanin on Tuesday 13th of August 2013 10:35:46 PM
I have always been weak; weak in my alcoholism; weak in my relationships; weak in my emotions and physically weak in my body. It is only by God's grace and mercy that I am alive and sober, with my family that I love so much. There were so many times that I stood at the crossroads weakened, with no power to pray or ask for help. Thank God for the footprints in the sand. So many times I was carried when my feeble body could go no further.
My 1st step tells me that I am "powerless and unmanageable." I have never found anything in the AA book that tells me that I will regain power and manageability. It only talks about a restoration to sanity. " And we have ceased fighting anything oranyone--even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned." AAbook pg84.
On this rare occasion I beg to differ. Today my life is completely manageable and I have all the power I need, just as promised in the Big Book.
P45. It's main object is to enable you to find a power greater than yourself which will solve your problems.
P163. you forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself.
P132. We have recovered and been given the power to help others.
P85 we can exercise our will power along this line all we like. It is the proper use of the will.
P87 nevertheless we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.
The only power I never got back was the power of choice in drink.
