Step One

The very first step of Alcoholics Anonymous is to Admit Complete Defeat. To admit that we are powerless over Alcohol and that are lives have become unmanagable.

Well, lets take a closer look a that one. Complete defeat is complete, meaning everything, completly, utterly, totally. So that would mean that our powerlessness doesn’t stop at just Alcohol, but stretches much, much further into ever aspect of our lives.

Although we may be excellent and skilled at something like math, or building houses, but in essense, job intailing these skills encompasses much more than a basic skill on a daily basis. A daily basis for living. It would be foolhardy to assume that just cause I can build a house or swing a hammer, that I could run a construction company.

And if you are good at math it would be foolish to think that you could run or own a bank. But that’s exactly what Alcoholics do when they come to AA, they admit that they’re powerless over Alcohol, and that Alcohol has made their drinking lives unmanagable. That is all.

Many egos prefer to keep it at that, and some do get away with it,(heavy drinkers-type 2) but most meet heartache and depression , when, years down the road, they find their lives in dis-array.

The truth is that we have an affliction that not only affects every aspect of our life, but almost every aspect of every life of those that come into contact with us as well. This disease is like the blob from the old 1940’s Sci-Fi thriller “the Blob” that slowly devours everything within it’s path.

The very best way to take the first step is to surrender completely and without reservation. In order to do this you must have W.H.O.. The WHO of AA will help you get through every step on the board,. The WHO of AA is the Willingness, The Honesty, and the Open Mindedness to proceed. Without this your ego will over power your initial gift of desperation and you will go back out.

The first step is the first requirement of AA, there are 11 other requirements that need your attention after this one, however, few if any will do all of these unless they first concede to their innermost selves (honestly) that they have truely hit bottom, are powerless over life and all of it’s circumstances, and cannot manage anything.

The good news is , that after completing the steps, we see the world with a new set of glasses and God gives us our will back. The bad new is , that this is contingent on US enlarging upon our spiritual lives on a daily basis.

So; to do step one, I first recommend that you take out your Big Book and Thoroughly read the Doctors Opinion, this will show to you the true nature of you malody. Alcoholism in it’s true light.

Next, Ready Bill’s story. Hi-Lite the words MUST and SHOULD everytime you see them. and Underline each statement that you can identify with; if you cannot identify with any of the thoughts, feelings or consiquences of Bill, maybe you’re not an Alcoholic afterall, but speak with a Seasoned member before you go.

Remember; the difference between identify and compair is: to identify is to agree and see who this thought, action or consiquence had manifested itself in your life in some similar way, shape or form, and to compair is to deny.

Then sit down and write out your Drunk-a-log. Your drink history starting from your very first drink, or even sooner if you exhibited abnormal or alcoholic behaviors before you first picked a drink or a drug.

Taking a serious, honest look at all of this work, you will be able to see the Truth for what it is, and thoroughly assess yourself, your delema, your disease (if any), and eithe a) undeniably consider yourself, based on facts about yourself and your drinking, that you are indeed and alcoholic, or b) that you don’t identify with any of the alcoholic trates and must have some other affliction, therefore don’t need AA and can continue searching.

Warning: This website is for information purposes only. And should not be used in place of or to substitute meetings or a personal experienced sponsor.