dsmaxis10

I'm powerless but not all AA members are powerless they have power thats not there power cuz there tappped in to the one GOD the bb talks about and they have a daily reprive to stay tapped into it.bb pg 46 we began to be possesed of a new sense of powerbb pg 63 As we felt new power flow in pg 386 4th edition Here was power to live to the end of any given day, power to have courage to face the next day,power to have friends,power to help people.power to be sane,power to stay sober.

resolute50

NO!

But, I am powerless when it comes to visiting this site.

whalebelow

To really find out if your powerless you have to have tried for years to drink normally / safely or tried stopping and staying stopped on your own will power.

If years of repeating the experiment get you nowhere and things actually seem to be getting worse the harder you try, then it might just be that you cannot muster the necessary mental power to moderate or stop.

Any one who drank and drank, never tried to moderate or stop, then one day just said "enough" and willed themselves not to drink ever since, has power.

You either have it or you don't and this determines what type of treatment you should seek.

whalebelow

To really find out if your powerless you have to have tried for years to drink normally / safely or tried stopping and staying stopped on your own will power.

If years of repeating the experiment get you nowhere and things actually seem to be getting worse the harder you try, then it might just be that you cannot muster the necessary mental power to moderate or stop.

Any one who drank and drank, never tried to moderate or stop, then one day just said "enough" and willed themselves not to drink ever since, has power.

You either have it or you don't and this determines what type of treatment you should seek.

Mountainmanbob

a few too many pages there
MM

Soberwolf

Let me make this clear I am not with AA not with AA

And I never done the steps

Nor did I hand things over

I got sober alone cold turkey

For me its an understanding if I drink I knows what happens next and when I drink I can't control it and in abstinence I still have AV

Is that empowerment by not acting on the voice or are we at risk from that same first drink if we do

If it is I'm empowered but to do what not to drink I have always had a choice

I say it for safety to remind your ego mine wants to kill me and the second I think I'm he man or that I've beaten this well there have been field studies and some are still out there suffering because of this so called power and my heart is with them always
I'll never beat this and when I do I won't even know it

Fo real my Fo real this is not castle greyskull and I'm not he man

UnixBer

That's a question that leaves room for interpretation.

1. The body and brain are powerless over alcohol, in the sense that the chemical will do changes and do the same things it always does. This is why it should never be put in the body.

The body is also powerless against water in the sense that it will hydrate it.

2. The mind may be weakened by the alcohol, but not powerless.

3. Conclusion: I may be powerless over the situtation that alcohol got me and made changes in brain chemistry. But I have the decision to remain sober now and always, and thus am not powerless.

Soberwolf

Loving this thread so much !!

silentrun

Not unless I drink it.

anattaboy

"Powerless" is an AA-speak word and a lead-in to trading booze for God. I am still amazed at how many folks refer to the BB as a tome of almighty truth. I do agree with the affirmative quality of the first step being "I can't drink and stop" or "Drinking only causes me problems", but it could have easily been worded as such. Either statement coupled with the Hokey-Pokey and some peer support would net the same results as AA. (IMO)

CousinA

Powerless over it and what happens when it's in me.

Today, it's a dead plant.

-a

desypete

its not a lead in speak word for trading in a belief in a god, as i dont believe in god yet i was powerless, and i am a very active member of aa

please dont get people like me confused with the holy rollers in aa who think there way is the only way. aa is not about god, its just some of the people in aa who believe it should be about god
thanks : )

nandm

I am powerless over alcohol but I do have the power to utilize the tools around me so that I do not have to drink.

I know exactly what happens to me, my family, and my life when I drink. I know that when I am drinking I lose control of everything. I lose the ability to decide how much I will drink or how long I will drink. I do stupid and reckless things when I drink. So yes I am powerless over alcohol.

I also, because of a program of recovery, have the tools to not drink if I choose each day to apply those tools to my life.

So one could say that because of the tools I am no longer powerless over alcohol but I would rather keep fresh in my mind that hopelessness, desperation, and pain I felt when I came into this program as it helps me keep a healthy respect for what alcohol can do in my life which keep me picking up those tools each day so that I do not drink.

tomsteve

I am amazed,too! its awesome the theres people out there that found a solution in that book and believe what it says. can ya imagine what it would be like if they were still drinkin???

and my amazement goes for anyone that has found a book that has helped them in any area of their life and believe what that book says.

desypete

fat lot of good it would do anyone who can not read : ) sorry just my 2 pennys worth on that argument : ) and yes i do know members in aa who can not read.

anattaboy

Good point Pete and Steve. People who have had a problem with drink have been quitting since the beginning of fermentation and whatever works is good.

silentrun

I read a thread here once where a guy was saying he would sit in AA and hear people talk about having no mental defense against the first drink and not know what they were talking about. He started using again and the next time he quit he knew exactly what that meant. He also said the phenomenon of cravings returned 10fold.
I answered No to that question and I have no desire to go back. Once in a while though my AV will try to whisper some BS in my ear. I think of that guy and how this thing is progressive.

dSober

Personally, I don't think there are any tomes of almighty truth. I think there are people, past and present, who speak and write about a way of life that puts others before self. I think the big book reveals alcoholism as a symptom of doing the reverse and describes a step by step procedure for getting things in the right order.

tomsteve

the only argument is on your side and I don't know why someone would say sorry after speaking their opinion.

i am entitled to my opinion and its real sad that when me or others who live the program as outlined in the BB get attacked for it.

jsprplc2006

Voted no. No one is powerless over alcohol. Some people just lack the necessary willpower, cognitive tools, or perspective to effect their power. They are simply incompetent at stopping drinking.

Just as I am not a doctor - I'm not "powerless" to perform brain surgery; I simply lack the proper training.

A "higher power" is nothing more than a mind trick. Like a placebo.