Christian Recovery: Powerlessness Is Not an Excuse to Drink - Or Do Anything Else

In Step One of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, alcoholics admit that they are powerless over alcohol.  Some people misunderstand this to mean that they have no accountability for their drinking or anything else destructive and don't have to take any responsibility. 

This isn't what is meant by powerlessness. Watch this video to learn about what powerlessness is and is not. It could help you with your own recovery or help you to have reasonable expectations for the alcoholic or addict in your life.  #ChristianRecovery #TwelveSteps  #StepOne #AlcoholicsAnonymous  #Powerlessness

 

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
You're listening to an audio recordingby Change My Relationship, featuring
licensed marriage and family therapistand author Karla Downing.
These audios are designed to provide youwith practical solutions
based on biblical truthsfor all your relationships.
I love the 12

(00:20):
steps of Alcoholics Anonymous,which have now been adopted
by many 12 step groups and even usedby Christian groups for recovery.
And I have heard people say differentthings about them, and one of them is
that they feel like the first stepthat talks about powerlessness,

(00:41):
that the alcoholic is powerlessover alcohol.
That that gives the personan excuse to continue
drinking, an excuse to say, well,I can't help it.
It's a disease.
I am, I am compulsive.
There's a compulsive desire to drink.
I'm obsessed with it. I can't stop it. It.

(01:01):
The idea of powerlessness is misappliedin that situation.
The whole idea of powerlessness
is from having tried
to stop drinking,try to stop doing something
that you are not able to stop,something that you are powerless over.

(01:21):
You can't do it.
But the whole idea of the steps is that by
admittingyou can't do it, that in step two,
you turn to God and believe
that God can restore you to sanity.
So it's like you're saying in step one,I'm powerless over alcohol

(01:43):
and other programs say overpeople, places and things, over my eating,
over my gambling, over my spending.
Whatever it is that you're findingyourself feeling compulsively drawn to do,
and it's messing up your lifeand you've tried to stop it and you can't.
Well you are stuck with that and hopeless

(02:05):
unless you have the principlesbehind the 12 steps.
You're powerless to do it on your own,
but with God's help, you can.
Maybe God's help and the power ofthe group, or the program or the 12 steps.
You can do it.
When you have God's help, Bill W.

(02:28):
and Doctor Bobboth knew this from their own lives
because they had tried to stop
drinking on their ownand failed many times.
And they wrote the stepsand they recognized, hey, I'm powerless.
And step one says, we admittedwe were powerless over

(02:50):
alcohol or whatever else you put in thosein that place of alcohol
that my life or our liveshave become unmanageable.
When you're powerless over something,your life becomes unmanageable.
Another word for that is a mess.
It becomes a big mess.
It's all kinds of problems.

(03:11):
So you admit that your powerlessness.
And then step two says, came to believe
that a power greater than ourselvescould restore us to sanity.
So you come to the placewhere, after admitting you're powerless,
that God can restore you to sanity.
Sanitymean meaning a reasonable way of living.

(03:33):
And that is not drunk, okay?
And not drinking or not gambling or notoverspending or not
continuing to try to fix peoplewhen you can't fix them.
Not continuing to do the same thingthat is causing you to make bad choices
in your life.
And then step three made a decisionto turn our will

(03:56):
and our lives over to the care of Godas we understand him.
So in other words, once you admit thatyou can't do it and your life is a mess
and that you believe that God can,then you say you do the surrender.
Okay, here, I'll let him, okay?
God, I can't do it.
I've messed up on my own.

(04:17):
You take it.
So if you've got somebody in your lifethat is using the first step of the 12
steps as an excuse to continue to do
any kind of behavior that is not okay.
That is not the properapplication of the steps.

(04:38):
And that is not what powerlessness
was meant to suggest.
Romans 7:18 says, for I know
that good itself does not dwell in me,that is in my sinful nature.
For I have the desire to dowhat is good, but I cannot carry it out.

(04:58):
That talks about the first step, admittedwe were powerless
over alcoholand that our lives were unmanageable.
So it's basically I got something
going on inside of methat I that keeps messing me up.
Okay, call it sin, call it compulsion,call it a disease of alcoholism.

(05:18):
It's the same thing I need help,I can't do it.
It says powerless means I can't.
Step two
came to believe thata power greater than myself
could restore me to sanity.
Hope that gives you hope.
He can do it. I can't, he can.
For it is God who works in you to willand to act

(05:39):
in order to fulfill his good purposes.
Philippians 2:13.
Such a scriptural program.
The 12 steps are so scriptural.
Step three made a decisionto turn our will
in our lives over to the care of Godas we understood him.
Surrender. I think I'll let him.

(06:00):
I can't, he can.
I think I'll let him. That's surrender.
Romans 12:1 therefore I urge you, brothersand sisters,
in view of God's mercy,to offer your bodies
as a living sacrifice, holyand pleasing to God.
This is your true and proper worship.
Do not conform to the pattern
of this world, but be transformedby the renewing of your mind.

(06:23):
Then you will be able to test and approvewhat God's will is.
His good, pleasing and perfect will.
If you're not familiar with the steps,
I highly encourage youto familiarize yourself with the steps.
And I actually have a classthat comes around.
On zoom that is taught, a couple timesa year on applying the 12 steps

(06:49):
to your life, which you don't have to bein an addiction in order to do.
But, also available for,purchase on to work on your own
if you'd like to get some more, insightinto what the 12 steps are.
So I hope this has been helpful.
Remember,
powerlessness is just the first stepto admitting that you need God's help.

(07:11):
Okay? God bless you.
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on how the podcasts have helped your lifeand relationships.
You can email her at.

(07:32):
[e-mail]
For more informationon Change My Relationship and Karla
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and YouTube videosvisit changemyrelationship.com.