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Have you lost friends over your drugging or drinking?.Have you gotten into trouble because of your drug or alcohol use? Did you continue to use your substance of choice anyway?.
Powerless over my addiction professional#
Has a medical professional suggested that you stop using chemical substances? Are you still using chemical substances?.Have your friends or family members ever expressed concern, only to have you brush off their concerns or begin to act defensively?.When you did pick back up, did you rationalize your behavior by saying something like, “I’ll only have one,” or, “Why am I even trying to quit? I don’t have a problem.”.Have you attempted to quit or cut back, only to find that you were unable to do so for any length of time?.“I can stop whenever I want to stop, I’m just not ready yet.” “My drug use is only hurting myself – it shouldn’t matter to anyone else if it’s only affecting me.” Leave justification and rationalization at the door, and answer as honestly as possible. Your first inclination will undeniably be to again attempt to convince yourself that everything is fine. These questions might help you put things into perspective. When trying to understand the powerlessness of active addiction, there are certain questions you can ask yourself. So how do we get to a point where we believe that addiction has truly (and comprehensively) taken over our lives?
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However, to regain power we must first admit powerlessness.
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The insidiousness of this specific brain disease works to convince that everything is just fine and dandy – even as the world crumbles down around us. Addiction is a disease of denial, after all. Even as our lives are being actively destroyed by substance dependency, we will convince ourselves that we are still in control. The word is meant to help program members recognize that there are things they can do to regain control over their own lives and understand that living a sober lifestyle essentially means taking back the power.Īdmitting powerlessness over addiction is the first step in AA, and it is also one of the most difficult things someone in recovery will ever have to do. In AA, the word “powerlessness” refers to a lack of control over the addictive disorder itself – a lack of control over life. Merriam-Webster defines powerlessness as “devoid of strength or resources” or “lacking the authority or capacity to act.” You may have heard this word in the context of Alcoholics Anonymous or another recovery-related program.