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A higher power is any source of new as opposed to “old ideas” (BB p 58) based on the suggested actions of a sponsor. These new ideas help us begin living in the solution, not the problem. – These new ideas represent solutions that we have not tried before.
AA Works if you believe in God. AA works if you don't believe in God. AA wont work if you think YOU are God.
Good Orderly Direction
Group Of Drunks
Gift of Desperation
Grow or Die
Guide of Destiny
Grand Open Discussion
Gaining One's Definition
General Operational Device
Guide Our Dreams
This idea doesn’t have to be associated with a religion. While some people believe in a God or supreme being, others may believe in something like the universal power that sustains you or the energy of positivity. When you think about a higher power, consider it a power greater than yourself; that power doesn’t even need to be defined.
The only real condition, which can be nature, consciousness, science, God, or any other thing larger than oneself, is that the power is caring and loving. A spiteful or vengeful God would not be suitable; the goal is to find a something that you can turn to for support and guidance when you’re most in need.
If you are Christian, Islamic, or of another religious background, you can seek guidance from your own God or Gods. However, if you’re not spiritual or religious, you can turn to other things that are larger than yourself for guidance. For instance, if you believe in nature as your higher power, you can find your peace and comfort while in nature. If it is science-based, then you believe in the power of science, medicine, and all the other kinds of treatments and education that science can provide.
Learning to Let Go: Many addiction treatment programs encourage people to let go of the guilt and pain caused by your addiction. Belief in a higher power can help you let go of all of this. With faith in something bigger than yourself, change and forgiveness become easier to accept.
Realizing You’re Not Alone: For many people struggling with addiction, recovery can feel overwhelming at times. Facing the problem alone can be intimidating. But finding a higher power can give you the strength needed to push forward. With a higher power, you’re never alone.
Gain a New Purpose: Finding a higher power can lower your chance of relapse. When people become sober, they often need a new healthy focus that will replace their relationship with drugs or alcohol. Creating a new spiritual path with a higher power can be that focus.
Finding a higher power that resonates with you will help you discover a better version of yourself. “Sanity” occurs when you accept sobriety as a process, not a means to an end; sobriety ebbs and flows. For example, there are days when you are balanced in yoga and when you are tasked with finding balance. Each day is an opportunity for improvement by accepting where you are, where you want to go, and how embracing step two can get you there.
The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous ask you to accept that you are on the path of improvement, trust, and faith within yourself. When you reach step two of the big book, the twelve steps, you begin to reflect on how a higher power can help restore sanity in your life. Rather than recommending a belief in a literal higher power, step two merely asks you to recognize that a higher power exists and can lead to accepting help. While you begin step two, ask yourself what can restore sanity in your life.