Why do we have to say we are powerless against our addictions in N/A? If we truly were powerless we would never be able to quit. Thats something I haven't agreed with yet.

Can someone enlighten me please? thanks.

I think you have a VERY good question. However... although I haven't really attended any meetings and know only a little about the 12 steps, I DO know that I have no control over pills so I would have to say that I'm 'powerless' over this. This is why I take the Suboxone. I'd like to know how people respond who are more familiar with the 12 steps. Thanks!

There are many roads to recovery. Take a look at other support groups and meetings if you can't or it is not a fit for you. Smart Recovery is another group that could be helpful. I also found counseling to be very helpful.

I say do what works best for you. Heck, you can do it all if that is what it takes!

Patty

"We are powerless over our addictions..." To me means that I can not quit on my own. That I need outside intervention (shrinks, in or outpatient therapy, NA, AA) to help us quit or drug use. That we can not quit on our own. That our addictions controlled us in our using behaviour as we are a slave to our drug of choice. he addiction dictates how much and how often we use. The addiction dictates our behaviour. That is my theory on it at least. To me it is important to admit this and say it to remind myself daily or weekly that I am powerless and that I can not control it. Otherwise my stinkin thinkin will come back and my addiction will kick in being cunning and crafty and I will convince myself that I had it all under control and that I can quit using anytime I want to and that using isn't so bad after all and I will relapse.

An addict is powerless until he admits that the drug is controlling his life. This is the insanity that recovered ex addicts speak about. An addicted person truely believes he can control his usage and himself, but of course he cannot. Thats insane thinking, also called denial.

to me powerlessness means the same as what karla said. i have no control over my alcohol addiction and am unable to stop without outside help (aa, higher power, etc.). i used to equate powerlessness with failure and weakness. i have found that for me it is an admission of being human and the knowledge that i don't know it all.
If you can admit powerlessness, then you are ready to move on in the 12 steps. for years i refused to recognise this in myself and went on and on until i reached a point of complete misery and simply didn't know what to do anymore. i wanted to stop, tried a bunch of different ways (none worked), and finally figured out millions of people can't be wrong, and OMG they were actually happy!
AA/NA is not just about quitting drinking/drugging. it is a lesson in how to deal with real life without the drugs serving as a buffer. not every day is rosy, but the rough ones are a hell of a lot easier to face if i'm not hungover or getting trashed! :D

Hi,
This is why I have difficulty going to NA meetings and I'm supposed to be working on this first step now, AND getting a sponsor.

I understand though, as someone mentioned here, the cocnept that we are pretty darn powerless over our drug addictions, once we get hooked. We've all taked about that; that we can't seem to stop; it's like something else owns us and it seems impossible.

I do think that admitting that we are powerless over the drugs which seem to control us is a good thing.
At the same time, I think that we all have teh "power" of choice too. I believe some DO make the choid to quit, even if they don't go to N/A, work the program, do the steps, etc. and just quit, because they recognize what it's doing to their lives.
I don't like when they say it's not up to us, because it takes away our power too. We DO have power even when we feel like we don't. And boy I know that feeling.
But if you say to a 12-stepper that I have quit or will quit - if you've not understood and gotten thru step 1, they will tell you, that you are in denial.
Everybody's different.
Everybody gets to their end by different means.
I praise 12step for helping so many people; but it is just too cultish fo rme, even as I go 3X a weeks now - because they say I have too otherwise my insurance won't cover aftercare.

Murphy

Bacne,
Was your life unmanagible? I know mine was and I tried to do it on my own. I did do it on my own for six years but my life didn't change except I was not using. The craziness still continued. A friend told me to go to an AA meeting and promised my life would change. It didn't happen overnite, but happy to say I have not used drugs or alcohol for 16 yrs and continue to go to AA and my life has changed over and over. You are doing the right thing by going and you will get the answers in your higher powers time. Hang in there. You are not alone, we all went through it.

Robin

Murph... I can relate. I have a friend that's in aa and when I told him I was on Sub and hadn't had any hydro for 2 weeks his reply wasn't "Oh, that's wonderful.. I'm proud of you". His reply was "When are getting off of Suboxone?" It's like they think I'm not doing well (even though I'm not HIGH) unless there is completely nothing in my system. Also, I need my xanax for a valid anxiety disorder but he disagrees. I also had a doctor tell me that xanax was nothing but alchohol in a pill and that I needed to stop everything. When I asked him what I was going to do about my panick attacks and my inability to drive without my anxiety medicine he just said 'they will get better'. It's like sometimes people don't really understand that people do take medicine because they need it not because they enjoy it or abuse it. Know what I mean?

Also, my dad is heavily into AA and it literally helped it live. He would have been dead from alchohol if he hadn't found it so I know what you mean. It has helped so many people... I just don't think it's for me. And that's unfortunate because I need some help so desperately. Let me know how you are... haven't heard from you lately.

:confused: I don't think the 12-Steps are what can turn people off to the AA, NA, etc. programs; rather, the personalities, as the above example shows. That's why they always say "Principles not personalities."

My favorite story of 12-Step-Thinking-Gone-Awry is: a friend of my husband developed some itchy skin condition. After testing for other causes, his doctor said it was all the result of nerves/anxiety. At this point the friend did admit to all kinds of other symptoms and behavior that confirmed he definitely had anxiety problems. Doctor gave him one of the benzos and said take it for a few weeks, we'll see if it clears your skin up and proceed from there.

The friend then went to work the next day and told his co-workers (ALL are active in NA, friend and co-workers) about the medicine. The self-appointed doctors instructed the guy to throw the medicine right into the trash. My husband had a real problem with those guys doing that. I think his friend did throw the medicine out, 'cause those guys had him even more anxious about relapsing and the like.