Twelve step fellowships stress the importance of giving up self-will and trusting in something greater than yourself. We learn to stop trying to assert our will over every facet of our lives. Instead, we learn acceptance of the unchangeable and faith in a higher power. When we make the decision to “turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him,” as stated in the Third Step of Alcoholics Anonymous, we find that we are in a state of protection from the need for drugs and alcohol. Selfishness and self-centeredness are the root of our problems. When we selfishly try to assert our will over others instead of accepting things, we create a sense of inner conflict that continues to drive us deeper and deeper into addiction and alcoholism. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous explains: “So our troubles, we think, are basically of our own making. They arise out of ourselves, and the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn’t think so. Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us! God makes that possible. And there often seems no way of entirely getting rid of self without His aid.” The 3rd Step—giving up our will and lives to the care of a higher power—may seem conflicting. Are we to sit back and let everything in our lives be controlled by our Higher Power? The answer is both yes and no. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous states the “faith without works is dead.” Simply put, we continually attempt to align our will with that of our higher power, having faith that things will happen as our higher power intends. All sorts of remarkable things happen when we take this vital step. The Big Book promises, “Established on such footing we become less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.”
You story can be one of peace and serenity. You can make the decision to seek help now and begin building a brighter future of hope, faith, and courage. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in beautiful Laguna Beach, offers inside and outside 12 Step meetings as part of the Residential Treatment program. For more information about individualized treatment options, from Detox to Aftercare, please call today: (877) 279-1777
