“Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
It is a common misconception that 12-step programs are affiliated with a religion, and more often than not, that assumption is based on this step. The idea of believing in a power greater than oneself can be enough for anyone opposed to religious concepts to cringe. Follow that up with “being restored to sanity” by this unseen power and a lot of people run the other way.
However, AA and all 12-step programs are not directly affiliated with any one religion or spirituality. The entire 12-step program is based on the belief that having a spiritual awakening will ultimately change a person, allowing freedom from all substances or addictions. This can be confusing, as the vast majority of people have experienced at least one form of religion throughout their lifetime. These individual experiences with religion are extraordinarily different for everyone. Those suffering from a substance use disorder tend to have negative feelings towards God or anything remotely related to that concept.
Generally speaking, alcoholics and addicts often experience traumatizing events throughout their life, especially during active addiction. This is primarily due to the physical need for a substance and the basic human instinct to survive being activated; Caution and logic are put aside in the basic pursuit of survival. Unfortunately, this typically leads individuals into unsafe environments and situations, resulting in experiences that cause long-term trauma and often result in emotional and/or physical pain. More simply stated, those coming into AA or NA tend to have a slight resentment towards God, or a total disbelief due to the horrific things experienced during active addiction.
Many people get stuck on this step, or, “fake it til they make it,” which ultimately does no good considering this true sense of belief is the foundation of the entire program. The second step is not saying that individuals have to trust in a higher power. It is simply saying that the consideration of something else more powerful than oneself, exists. This extremely simple concept is often overanalyzed and labeled, trying to make sense of a concept that is very abstract and beyond comprehension. The lack of tangibility and logic is overwhelming for some and turns them away.
This is only the 2nd step out of 12. The steps are in the order that they are in for a reason. The program as a whole guides each person down the same path toward the spiritual experience, or, “cure,” to all addictions. It is even stated in 12-step literature that this happens “sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly”- meaning that everyone’s experience with each step will be different. However, the end result is always the same- a psychic change resulting in permanent sobriety.
That change may happen at step 1, step 6, or step 12; It does not matter at what step it occurs. The second step is where the seed of the overall solution is planted.