12 step program

[Josh26]

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His Will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

[bettie1976]

Thanks! I printed it out and am putting it up on the fridge. Right next to an old sober picture of me.

[beachtowel]

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

I have my own version:

We admit that we are powerless against our drug of choice and that our addiction manages our lives

This was my hardest step to do it took me years because I always thought I was the boss.......
I could control the drugs I took and nobody managed my life but me........

It is because of failure to submit to the first step why it keeps so many addicts in denial and then takes them so long to get to recovery.......

[bettie1976]

QUOTE: "It is because of failure to submit to the first step why it keeps so many addicts in denial and then takes them so long to get to recovery....... "

I thought about that and it gave me chills....Its so true..

[beachtowel]

When I speak at inpatient drug rehabs I try to stress the first step and how important it is........
it is amazing how the steps as you get going all tie into one another but you can't even get started until you can honestly get by #1

[bettie1976]

why didnt you come speak at my detox! haha

[tzt2lady]

Step one - I read over and over how we have to plan family events, vacations, etc etc around how many pills we have left.   The pills are making the choices for us.  This is NOT us managing our lives, it is the pills.  We wake up and wish we werent addicted.  We dont WANT to take a pill but do so anyway just to function.   That is powerlessness.   When we take them even when we dont want to, thats powerlessness.

Folks, even if one isnt ready to attend meetings or is relutant, go to a 12 step store and buy the basic text and step workbook.  Read, you will find yourselves in itl  Wherever it metions a particular drug, substitute it for your drug of choice.  Its a start.

[CATUF]

I am curious as to why your Step 1 is limited to only your drug of choice.  Does this mean that you believe you have power/control over other mood-altering substances?  

[bettie1976]

good question! I didnt even see that cuz I was speed reading.

[beachtowel]

Again someone reading another meaning into my post......

I use drug of choice because this is what drug of choice means to me:

Drug of choice means your drug of choice this entails every drug known to man kind how is that limiting anything?

[beachtowel]

please explain mood-altering substances............so I understand where your coming from....I was referring to drugs this is a drug forum.........

[CATUF]

Sorry if it sounded like I was reading things into your post.  I intended only to ask for clarification so I would know what you meant.  I confess that assumed you must have some reason for changing the official NA Step 1 (". . . we were powerless over our addiction . . .") to "powerless against our drug of choice."  

By "mood-altering substance," I meant the same thing that NA refers to in "WHO IS AN ADDICT?"  (p. 3) when it speaks addicts being people who cannot use ANY "mind-altering, mood-changing substance" i.e. DRUGS.  Of course, in keeping with the Basic Text's admonition  ("we cannot afford to be confused about this - Alcohol is a drug." (p. 18)), that would include alcohol.

[beachtowel]

I write the first step like I do to include all drugs because of my negative experiences with AA

In NA we always accept alcoholics and they do not have to say there are addicts and they are totally accepted.......
That is the way it should be...........

In my studies at school also included in mood altering substances include sex and gambling......
I wasn't sure exactly where you were going........

[NautyOne]

Whats next?  you gonna rewrite scripture?  Oh, wait.  You just did.  Pretty Ball-zy

[beachtowel]

Yes I was thinking of re writing the bible next do you have any suggestions........

[NautyOne]

In fact, I do.  how bout  "thou shalt not put yourself above the Lord"........:-)

[beachtowel]

I missed that commandment when I went to catholic school.......

which commandment is that?

How about this for my title   "The Book of Beachtowel"

I would say "The Book of Saint Beachtowel" but I think you have to be dead to be a saint........

[NautyOne]

Scared of that!!!!  Catholic School, huh.  I bet if you held your hands out palms down I could read 1-12......lol.

[CATUF]

Wouldn't gambling and sex be mood-altering activities?  

I gotta tell you, I'm am SO glad that my disease manifists in a substance-addiction, not a process-addiction.

[beachtowel]

years ago I went through the gambling thing god I was so broke........

[oxyhydro]

Here we go with the god thing again. Why do people have to bible bang. I think the 12 steps are dumb, has nothing to do with god. It's your choice to quit, not gods. Let me see hang out with myself and get clean! or hang out with a bunch of recovering alc's and drug addicts, half of which are still high at the meeting. Hum let me scratch my head.

[beachtowel]

where in the hell did that come from

[oneway]

The god thing.  Well I am a big believer in a higher power not a bible higher power but something more then this.  But everything else you said I pretty much agree with.  I had people always tell me to go to meetings and then I would go and want to get high when I left.  I came in their with drugs not even on my mind and then when I left I wanted to go get twisited.  I thought it was corny how everbody was trying to get in the best saying of the day or the best story.  I think it is a miracle worker for some people especially people who have no hobbies and a limited social life but for some people it has the opposite affect on them.  I believe that some people have it in them just to quit on their own.  NA just gave me a bad vibe and really almost everyone I know in NA relapses and the people who I know that just said I've had enough time to quit have stayed clean.  I really think NA does help a lot for some but just not for me.  Each to his own.  If thats what works for you keep doing it.

[oneway]

The god thing.  Well I am a big believer in a higher power not a bible higher power but something more then this.  But everything else you said I pretty much agree with.  I had people always tell me to go to meetings and then I would go and want to get high when I left.  I came in their with drugs not even on my mind and then when I left I wanted to go get twisited.  I thought it was corny how everbody was trying to get in the best saying of the day or the best story.  I think it is a miracle worker for some people especially people who have no hobbies and a limited social life but for some people it has the opposite affect on them.  I believe that some people have it in them just to quit on their own.  NA just gave me a bad vibe and really almost everyone I know in NA relapses and the people who I know that just said I've had enough time to quit have stayed clean.  I really think NA does help a lot for some but just not for me.  Each to his own.  If thats what works for you keep doing it.

[mom2rachie]

Obviously you're still active or that comment wouldn't make any sense to you because it made no sense to anyone else.

I got clean with God and I will proudly say it.  I don't push it on anyone else but I will not allow someone to bash it.  I tried it my way for years and years and it got me nowhere.  When I gave up trying and let go and let God, I realized that God was doing for me what I could no longer do for myself.  For me, life is a lot easier if I trust that someone else is helping me and guiding me in the right direction.  It's up to me to see those signals and up to me to take those signs and use them daily.  Some days for me are better than others.

And if you're going  top meetings here half of them are high my friend, you're going to the wrong ones because 9 out of 10 of the meetings I go to, the people are serious about recovery.  Keep going to different meetings until you find one that fits.  If the meetings that have the high people in it doesn't fit you, go to another.  I surrounded myself with sober people, some with long amounts of clean time and some with short amounts of clean time but their messages was always the same.

And just to point one more thing out to everyone....
The first step says we WERE powerless......... after doing the steps, helping others, staying honest and having a spiritual awakening, we are no longer powerless.  
I can walk into a bar for a party and not be dragged over to order a beer because I have regained that power, the power to choose which no active addict has.  
They lose that ability to chose because they lose all rational thought.  The drug takes over, whatever drug that may be.  Once you have the ability to think it through, you will regain your personal power, for me it was with God's help but I know that's not necessarily true for others.