The Paradox

After countless miserable nights, weeks, months, and years, you begin to contemplate if there is even a possibility of living a sober life. You start to entertain the idea, and this small seed turns into a reoccurring thought. By some miracle, you find yourself waking up in rehab and have a very limited idea of how on earth you got there. After a painful detox, you start talking to people and listening to the groups. You find out that the 12 steps are a big deal and seem to work for many. You get excited and think, I’ll give them a try.

This is the part of the story where too many people get frustrated for various reasons. Some are turned off by the word “God”, while others don’t like having to identify as an “alcoholic” so early on. The main wall that I see people run into at the very start happens with step 1. Specifically, it happens with the word “powerless”. It is such an absolute word, and is easily countered with evidence that you do have some power in your life.

Here is the paradox of step 1 that was explained to me so many years ago. Admitting your powerlessness gives you ultimate power in your life. It is our ego that prevents us from acknowledging our limitations as human beings. We enjoy feeling that we have some power over our lives. The ultimate truth is that we are all powerless on some level. The more we are able to admit our powerlessness, the calmer and more peaceful we become. We take comfort in our limitations. The sun will rise without me, the rain will fall, and the birds will fly.