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.

[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?  

[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.

[bettie1976]

why didnt you come speak at my detox! haha

[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]

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]

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.......