Step by Step - May 16 2026

“The fact is that most alcoholics …have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically non-existent. We are unable …to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink.” 

– Alcoholics Anonymous, Third Edition, 1976, Ch 2, p 24.

Today, I understand and accept that I cannot quench the lie of “just one” and that my defense rests wholly in the Higher Power of my understanding. I need only to review with honesty my drinking history and its trail of broken bottles that were opened on the promise of “just one drink.” And if the Big Book is correct that the memory of “the suffering and humiliation” of my last try at just one drink doesn’t last more than a month at best, I pray for the wisdom to search beyond the impotence of my own devices to overcome any temptation. Today, that search beyond leads me to my Higher Power in whom I must place my trust, faith, hope and confidence that He has better luck than my own tactics to overcome temptation. And our common journey continues.

Step by step. – Chris M., 2014

Today's Gift - - April 27 2026

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

~ Niccolo Machiavelli

Acceptance may be one of the most difficult things to learn, for it means we must give up the desire to control our life and its outcome. Once we have truly received this great gift we will learn that acceptance need not take away our strength – on the contrary, we will have an inner strength we never thought possible.

When we decided to meet the challenge of a sober life we took the first step toward acceptance – we accepted the fact that we have a disease, a chronic disease that will always be with us. By accepting this fact we will be able to cope with our lifelong struggle. This way we willingly accept the friendship of our group members and the wisdom they offer us. They have been where we are coming from, they have suffered as we suffer, and they have felt the hope we now feel.

We are being offered a way of life that, if we follow it, will bring us a peace of mind we may never have felt. By our surrender we are now willing to receive something that is being offered to us – the beginning of a new way of life.

Today let me accept my powerlessness and any help.

From the book:


Body, Mind, and Spirit by Anonymous

Body, Mind, and Spirit © 1990 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

The Eye Opener 11th Jan 2026

If you have the brains of a bedbug, you will admit that you were powerless over your drinking. You will recognize the fact that one day you were a drunk and then on the next day you were an ex-drunk.

Was it because one day you were weak and the next day you had become suddenly strong? You know better.

On that great day of reformation, you sought refuge in a Power greater than yourself, which was even beyond your ability to visualize. That Power has been an ever-present source of help ever since.

If you are successfully practicing the Program, you have established a spiritual contact whether you are aware of it or not. Hazelden Foundation

JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrecovery

Powerlessness, Personal Responsibility

“Through our inability to accept personal responsibilities, we were actually creating our own problems.”

~ Basic Text, p. 13 ~

When we refuse to take responsibility for our lives, we give away all of our personal power. We need to remember that we are powerless over our addiction, not our personal behavior.

Many of us have misused the concept of powerlessness to avoid making decisions or to hold onto things we had outgrown. We have claimed powerlessness over our own actions. We have blamed others for our circumstances rather than taking positive action to change those circumstances. If we continue to avoid responsibility by claiming that we are “powerless;” we set ourselves up for the same despair and misery we experienced in our active addiction. The potential for spending our recovery years feeling like victims is very real.

Instead of living our lives by default, we can learn how to make responsible choices and take risks. We may make mistakes, but we can learn from these mistakes. A heightened awareness of ourselves and an increased willingness to accept personal responsibility gives us the freedom to change, to make choices, and to grow.

Just for today: My feelings, actions, and choices are mine. I will accept responsibility for them.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc 

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrec #Powerlessness #Admission

NO CONDITIONAL SOBRIETY

Admission of Powerlessness

Sobriety in AA is unconditional. This means that there’s never been a reason for drinking, no matter how bad our circumstances may become. As the AA pioneers were fond of saying, “THERE’S NOTHING THAT DRINKING WON’T MAKE WORSE.”

How do we know if we’ve been setting conditions on sobriety? It’s revealed to us in our own thinking. If we believe, for example, that a certain setback such as the ending of a relationship is just cause for drinking, we have made our sobriety conditional.

In such cases, what we need to do is clear up our own thinking on the subject. Maybe further inventory is needed, or perhaps we should let ourselves learn from the experience of others. Self-honesty is also important in getting priorities in order.

The decision to choose unconditional sobriety brings additional benefits in helping us to organize our lives. Once we completely understand that sobriety is all-important, it becomes easier to make other decisions that bear on keeping sober. We find ourselves choosing the ideas and activities that enhance sobriety, while rejecting other things that could threaten it.

I’ll never waver in a moment from my relief that I must continue to seek sobriety – unconditionally. There is nothing that could ever justify my taking a drink.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.

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JUST FOR TODAY #essentialsofrec #Recovery #NA #Addiction #Message

Carrying the Message, Not the Addict

“They can be analyzed, counseled, reasoned with, prayed over, threatened, beaten, or locked up, but they will not stop until they want to stop.”

~ Basic Text, p. 62 ~

Perhaps one of the most difficult truths we must face in our recovery is that we are as powerless over another’s addiction as we are over our own. We may think that because we’ve had a spiritual awakening in our own lives we should be able to persuade another addict to find recovery. But there are limits to what we can do to help another addict.

We cannot force them to stop using. We cannot give them the results of the steps or grow for them. We cannot take away their loneliness or their pain. There is nothing we can say to convince a scared addict to surrender the familiar misery of addiction for the frightening uncertainty of recovery. We cannot jump inside other peoples’ skins, shift their goals, or decide for them what is best for them.

However, if we refuse to try to exert this power over another’s addiction, we may help them. They may grow if we allow them to face reality, painful though it may be. They may become more productive, by their own definition, as long as we don’t try and do it for them. They can become the authority on their own lives, provided we are only authorities on our own. If we can accept all this, we can become what we were meant to be – carriers of the message, not the addict.

Just for today: I will accept that I am powerless not only over my own addiction but also over everyone else’s. I will carry the message, not the addict.

© 1991 by Narcotics Anonymous World Services Inc

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 STEP ONE

“The cause is hidden, but the result is known.”

–Ovid

When I went to my first meeting and was told about Step One, that I was to admit my powerlessness, it was somewhat of a mystery to me. I thought powerlessness was weakness. It was obvious that the result of my compulsive overeating could be seen by everyone, but to me, I was not sure that powerlessness was the answer to the problem. As I kept going to meetings and listening to people share about powerlessness, read the literature, and talked to my sponsor, I learned that powerlessness was not weakness. In fact, to admit my powerlessness, was to connect me to a power that was greater than I had ever experienced before in my life.

The paradoxes of the program, such as we “lose to win” and “give to receive” are true of admitting my powerlessness to find a greater power. In The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Overeaters Anonymous on p. 5 it reads, “Later we discovered that, far from being a negative factor, the admission of our powerlessness over food opened the door to an amazing newfound power.” What a blessing it is to now know that I am powerless, and have opened the door of a newfound power through the steps, the tools and my Higher Power.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will freely admit my powerlessness and gladly open the door to the newfound power in my life.

~ Carolyn

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

NO CONDITIONAL SOBRIETY

Admission of Powerlessness

Sobriety in AA is unconditional. This means that there’s never been a reason for drinking, no matter how bad our circumstances may become. As the AA pioneers were fond of saying, “THERE’S NOTHING THAT DRINKING WON’T MAKE WORSE.”

How do we know if we’ve been setting conditions on sobriety? It’s revealed to us in our own thinking. If we believe, for example, that a certain setback such as the ending of a relationship is just cause for drinking, we have made our sobriety conditional.

In such cases, what we need to do is clear up our own thinking on the subject. Maybe further inventory is needed, or perhaps we should let ourselves learn from the experience of others. Self-honesty is also important in getting priorities in order.

The decision to choose unconditional sobriety brings additional benefits in helping us to organize our lives. Once we completely understand that sobriety is all-important, it becomes easier to make other decisions that bear on keeping sober. We find ourselves choosing the ideas and activities that enhance sobriety, while rejecting other things that could threaten it.

I’ll never waver in a moment from my relief that I must continue to seek sobriety – unconditionally. There is nothing that could ever justify my taking a drink.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. 

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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

POWERLESS

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery. I’ve learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am powerless over how other people work (or don’t work) the Steps. But I’ve also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live.

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ADMITTING POWERLESSNESS

Admission

If “admitting powerlessness” is still irritating to some of us, we’re not alone. This aspect of AA is even criticized at times. It sounds to some like an unnecessary admission of weakness.

But we often admit powerlessness in other situations. We call the doctor because we are powerless to provide our own treatment. We seek advice and help on other matters. Why is it so bad to admit that we’re powerless over alcohol?

Our trouble with this admission may be caused by false ideas about the nature of alcoholism. We may still feel that our wholeness as people somehow is wrapped up in an ability to drink in moderate amounts. Being able to “hold our liquor” or drink socially may still hold some importance for us.

As soon as possible we need to rid ourselves of these false ideas. Admitting powerlessness in AA is not an admission of total weakness. It is actually the key to finding real power and purpose, perhaps for the first time in our lives.

Since I’ve admitted powerlessness over alcohol, I’ve found new powers and opportunities in following the program. As a result, I’ll remember that I’m a more effective person.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

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DIFFERENT ROUTES TO ALCOHOLISM

Understanding powerlessness

While alcoholics have much in common, the personal stories heard at AA open meetings show that we took different routes to alcoholism. Some became out-of-control drinkers almost from the beginning. Others lost control slowly after years of seemingly moderate drinking.

These differences are underscored by the fact that we also differ in physical and emotional traits. Some alcoholics, for example, were so emotionally disturbed that they became problem drinkers from the very start. Some appeared to “have it all together,” yet became alcoholics after retirement or some other change in life patterns.

Whatever the route taken, we share in common our individual powerlessness at the time we knocked on AA’s door. And the solution for each of us was the same: sobriety in AA.

The risk in listening to such different personal accounts is that some of us twist these differences into “proof” that we are not alcoholics. The reward of such sharing, however, is learning that we do have a common problem and that there is a solution that fits everyone, in spite of our differences.

I’ll remember today that I came to AA because I was powerless over alcohol. That has not changed.


© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation 

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Reflection For The Day

Before I admitted my powerlessness over alcohol and other chemicals, I had as much self-worth as a “peeled zero.” I came into The Program as a nobody who desperately wanted to be a somebody. In retrospect, my self-esteem was shredded, seemingly beyond repair. Gradually, The Program has enabled me to achieve an even-stronger sense of self-worth. I’ve come to accept myself, realizing that I’m not so bad as I had always supposed myself to be. Am I learning that my self-worth is not dependent on the approval of others, but instead is truly an “inside job”?

Today I Pray

When I am feeling down and worthless, may my Higher Power and my friends in the group help me see that, although I was “fallen,” I was not “cast down.” However sick I might have been in my worst days, with all the self-esteem of an earth worm, may I know that I still had the power of choice. And I chose to do something about myself. May that good choice be the basis for my reactivated self-worth.

Today I Will Remember

I will not kick myself when I’m down.

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DIFFERENT ROUTES TO ALCOHOLISM

Understanding powerlessness

While alcoholics have much in common, the personal stories heard at AA open meetings show that we took different routes to alcoholism. Some became out-of-control drinkers almost from the beginning. Others lost control slowly after years of seemingly moderate drinking.

These differences are underscored by the fact that we also differ in physical and emotional traits. Some alcoholics, for example, were so emotionally disturbed that they became problem drinkers from the very start. Some appeared to “have it all together,” yet became alcoholics after retirement or some other change in life patterns.

Whatever the route taken, we share in common our individual powerlessness at the time we knocked on AA’s door. And the solution for each of us was the same: sobriety in AA.

The risk in listening to such different personal accounts is that some of us twist these differences into “proof” that we are not alcoholics. The reward of such sharing, however, is learning that we do have a common problem and that there is a solution that fits everyone, in spite of our differences.

I’ll remember today that I came to AA because I was powerless over alcohol. That has not changed.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection for the Day

It was far easier for me to accept my powerlessness over my addiction than it was for me to accept the notion that some sort of Higher Power could accomplish that which I had been unable to accomplish myself. Simply by seeking help and accepting the fellowship of others similarly afflicted, the craving left me. And I realized that if I was doing what I was powerless alone to do, then surely I was doing so by some Power outside my own and obviously greater. Have I surrendered my life into the hands of God?

Today I Pray

May God erase in me the arrogant pride which keeps me from listening to Him. May my unhealthy dependence on chemicals and my clinging dependence on those nearby be transformed into reliance on God. Only in this kind of dependency/reliance on a Higher Power will I find my own transformation.

Today I Will Remember

I am God-dependent.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation 

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Daily Reflections #essentialsofrecovery

POWERLESS

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.

TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 21

It is no coincidence that the very first Step mentions powerlessness: An admission of personal powerlessness over alcohol is a cornerstone of the foundation of recovery.
 I’ve learned that I do not have the power and control I once thought I had. I am powerless over what people think about me. I am powerless over having just missed the bus. I am powerless over how other people work (or don’t work) the Steps. But I’ve also learned I am not powerless over some things. I am not powerless over my attitudes. I am not powerless over negativity. I am not powerless over assuming responsibility for my own recovery. I have the power to exert a positive influence on myself, my loved ones, and the world in which I live. 

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Keep It Simple #essentialsofrecovery

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol…

–First part of Step One.

In Step One, we accept our powerlessness over alcohol and other drugs. But we are powerless over many parts of life. We are powerless over other people. We are powerless over what our HP has planned for us. Before recovery, we only believed in control. We tried to control everything. We fought against a basic truth, the truth that we are powerless over much of life. When we accept this truth, we begin to see what power we do have. We have the power to make choices. When we’re lonely, we have the power to reach out to others. We have power over how we live our own lives.

PRAYER: HP, help me to know that it’s You who is running my life. Help me to know that power comes from accepting I am powerless.

ACTION: I am powerless over much of life. Today, I’ll look to see how this is true. I’ll look to see what I really have control over and what I don’t.

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WILLINGNESS

Yet we finally did make choices that brought about our recovery. We came to believe that alone we were powerless over [food]. This was surely a choice, and a most difficult one. We came to believe that a Higher Power could restore us to sanity when we became willing to practice [program’s] twelve steps. In short, we chose to ‘become willing,’ and no better choice did we ever make.”

~ from “As Bill Sees It” ~

I floundered in program for a good while. I was not willing to do the Fourth Step; it scared me. Then I did it, and recovery continued.

I floundered in program again. I was not willing to do the extra work I knew I would have to do to stay in the program. I was scared of being a sponsor, so I left. The disease gradually took me over.

I came back to program. This time I was willing. No longer did the phrase “going to any lengths” scare me. I knew I needed to do whatever it took. The disease had beaten me down to where I had no choice if I wanted to recover. I took the steps … all the steps. I became a sponsor. I also discovered that abstinence is only the beginning of recovery – that life is joyful and free. It all began with willingness on my part. I didn’t have the power to change my life, but my Higher Power was able to change it once I became willing to follow the Twelve Steps to the best of my ability.

One Day at a Time . . .

I will ask for and receive the willingness to work this program.

~ Julie ~ 

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A WOMAN’S SPIRIT #essentialsofrecovery

Blaming someone or something else doesn’t help me to grow as an individual.

~ Chris DeMetsenaere ~

It is not unusual to meet women in recovery who have survived harrowing childhoods or brutal marriages. Many of us have lived troubled lives and felt powerless to change the circumstances. If we continue to focus on those times, however, we will grow far less than we deserve.

What has happened has happened. We can’t redo the past. Hanging on to it in order to blame other people for our failures and shortcomings builds a barrier to growth. With our minds on the past, we are not actively and consciously involved in the present, and this moment is all we have.

It’s understandable that we want to blame others for our circumstances. Although we know that taking full responsibility for our lives is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity, many of us still fear others’ expectations. Being fully responsible, we will quit blaming others and make the amends we need to make. We will learn to pause before acting or responding to others.

I will feel empowered today if I accept responsibility for my every thought and act.

© 1994 by Hazelden Foundation 

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WALK IN DRY PLACES #essentialsofrecovery

ADMITTING POWERLESSNESS

Admission

If “admitting powerlessness” is still irritating to some of us, we’re not alone. This aspect of AA is even criticized at times. It sounds to some like an unnecessary admission of weakness.

But we often admit powerlessness in other situations. We call the doctor because we are powerless to provide our own treatment. We seek advice and help on other matters. Why is it so bad to admit that we’re powerless over alcohol?

Our trouble with this admission may be caused by false ideas about the nature of alcoholism. We may still feel that our wholeness as people somehow is wrapped up in an ability to drink in moderate amounts. Being able to “hold our liquor” or drink socially may still hold some importance for us.

As soon as possible we need to rid ourselves of these false ideas. Admitting powerlessness in AA is not an admission of total weakness. It is actually the key to finding real power and purpose, perhaps for the first time in our lives.

Since I’ve admitted powerlessness over alcohol, I’ve found new powers and opportunities in following the program. As a result, I’ll remember that I’m a more effective person.

© 1996 by Hazelden Foundation 

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A DAY AT A TIME #essentialsofrecovery

Reflection for the Day

As a newcomer, I was told that my admission of my powerlessness over alcohol was my first step toward freedom from its deadly grip; I soon came to realize the truth of that fact. In that regard, surrender was a dire necessity. But for me that was only a small beginning toward acquiring humility. I’ve learned in the Program that to be willing to work for humility—as something to be desired for itself—takes most of us a long, long time. Do I realize that a whole lifetime geared to self-centeredness can’t be shifted into reverse in a split second?

Today I Pray

May I search for my own humility as a quality that I must cultivate to survive, not just an admission that I am powerless over my compulsive behavior. Step One is just that—step one in the direction of acquiring an attitude of humility. May I be realistic enough to know that this may take half a lifetime.

Today I Will Remember

Pride blew it; let humility have a chance.

© 1989 by Hazelden Foundation 

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