https://www.redeemingtheruins.com/recoveryblog daily 0.75 2026-02-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67bbc3310e14df52e5914ce2/86b75c8e-249b-4c1a-9656-ca70dd0f28f7/pink+peonie+bunch.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67bbc3310e14df52e5914ce2/146bf901-4dc4-4441-99df-9765219df379/coins.jfif https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67bbc3310e14df52e5914ce2/a3a72b29-e0f2-46f4-ae22-5e9d599ae6a4/ruins1.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847765301-447UDK2L5WJTURLWTECI/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847766023-TYF5QZ96XIXRZPA4EGWZ/image-asset.jpeg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67bbc3310e14df52e5914ce2/5d470292-7da5-476b-b9a0-faae90d0f832/community.jfif https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/67bbc3310e14df52e5914ce2/faad0d80-c06c-4c62-b323-e65ce30b04ee/Bible.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1589847764497-5VRB0KFO9K6GFADNYCRQ/image-asset.jpeg Blog - Step 1: Powerless Continued Step 1: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable. –AA Blue Book Powerless: Devoid of strength or resources Lacking the authority or capacity to act In my experience, I needed to understand this step in 2 parts. First, I was powerless over the decisions of the alcoholic in my life. My life had become unmanageable because of the effects of someone else’s use of alcohol and/or drugs. Second, I was powerless over my own dependency on anxiety in my life and my life had become unmanageable because of it. I needed to understand that I could no longer “pull-up my boot straps” and work my way through the situation. I was devoid of the strength and capacity to control another's drinking or drug use and lacked all capacity to ‘fix’ my dependency on stress as my fuel to keep going. I hated the stress in my life, but I needed it in order to function. Sound familiar? Maybe for some this does sound familiar, perhaps for others you have other mechanisms for coping in your situation. Bottom line, in order to begin a change you must first recognize change is needed. In the beginning small steps of change will create a steady-as-you-go mentality. One you are probably not used to. Bigger changes will come and the smaller steps prior will provide a steadiness. ALANON readings, and your ALANON family will remind you to recommit to this step over and over remembering that you can not control, nor cure your situation or your loved one. I needed to journal on this daily, it took me months to accept that I was powerless over these things. Although I was not an addict/alcoholic I had my own delusional thinking…and it was destroying me. So, if I was powerless, then who was powerful? The only true power belongs to Christ and Christ alone. We have the freedom of choice but we do not have the power to create new life. A recovered life is a new life. This understanding did not come quickly to me. I spent months reading and rereading Psalms. I would pray aloud the words of scripture. Have you accepted Christ as your Savior? Do you know the God of the Bible, the Everlasting? He is bigger than all the pain and sorrow you feel, all the destruction and unthinkable betrayals you face. He weeps at it, but none of it moves Him from you. Psalm 6 was a refuge to my soul when I could feel the pain in my bones. Some may think this a bit morose because it is not an ‘uplifting’ high-spirited psalm christians are supposed to pray…note a bit of sarcasm. This Psalm, a Psalm of David, gave me words to share my pain with God, these words spoke to my soul. I begged the Lord with the words He provided me. I have also begged him with my own words, but reading the words, “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled.” gave me a sense of permission to admit what I was feeling, to understand that He heard my pain, He understood as no one else could. Pray for the heart ache, pray for the healing, rejoice in His promises. 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