Step 1

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, drugs, other people, gambling, spending, et al, and that our lives had become unmanageable.

Our greatest power as human beings is our capacity to love and care about what is most important in our lives. The exercise of this power is dependent upon clarity of thought and presence of emotion. Any substance, emotion, belief, opinion, or adverse condition that interferes with the proper function of our mind and emotional heart, can render us incapable of adequately expressing love and care through action. The physiological nature of the disease of addiction is such that it has altered the proper functioning of the pleasure center of the brain - so that the obsessive pursuit of pleasure overrides all needs and becomes equivalent to survival. This is a malfunctioning in which the midbrain has now taken control of thought and action over the prefrontal cortex, which is the more advanced functional area of the brain in which reason can exercise control over impulse. Mood altering substances and other pleasurable behaviors that produce sufficient dopamine release can create this adverse effect . In addition, powerful negative thoughts or feelings can also interfere with clear functioning of the mind and receptivity of the emotional heart.

When the midbrain takes control over the mind - we are effectively functioning in a dramatically more primitive state of awareness and are subject to the expression of irrational impulses. This is why it is of utmost importance to identify what is causing this effect in the mind and go to work to counteract it. In the case of drugs and alcohol, it is essential to achieve and maintain abstinence from use of the substance or others with a similar method of action because if used again it will continue to produce the same adverse effect and condition. Related to negative thoughts and beliefs and other self-defeating behaviors, it is essential to recognize the interference of these upon a clear and persistent awareness of the immeasurable value of one self and others. Because it is from this awareness that our capacity to love and care comes forth. Any negative belief or opinion or judgment from which we minimize our own value and/or the value of others will impair our capacity to express love in any meaningful way.

To regain our most essential Power-the ability to love and care, we must restore our brain to proper functioning so that our thoughts and feelings consistently reflect reality. This is why a holistic treatment and recovery approach is essential. Mind, body, and spirit are inextricably connected and dependent upon one another for overall health and well-being. We must restore the condition of our mind to clarity of thought and emotion. We must provide our body with the nutrients and exercise that it needs to function properly and support mental health as well as physical health. We must have a spiritual practice through which we can cultivate and sustain a loving and positive state of mind for ourselves, others and life.

We have been endowed from birth with the capacity to love. It is essential for our health, well-being, and happiness to cultivate and maintain this capacity to the best of our ability. The 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous and all the other 12 step recovery organizations, is the program that does just exactly this. And it all starts with the first step. We must admit that we have become powerless and unable to satisfactorily or effectively demonstrate love for selves and others. Through all of the steps, the spiritual awakening that is produced by working them is an awakening of love which then heals and guides our lives. The whole 12-step program is a prescription to change an addict into a loving, caring human being. The Power of Love, the greatest known power, is the healer of addiction and the creator of a beautiful life - in recovery and otherwise...