I am having great difficulty understanding how these steps apply to true recovery from alcoholism. Obviously they can be applied - the high level of success and many satisfied testimonies are more than enough evidence. I can't quite get my head around them, however.
My main problem stems from step 1:
"Step One: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable."
Doesn't this defeat the object of self-help?
Many times i've seen people say things like "You can do this! Don't give up, just carry on, quit drinking forever" followed by "... work the AA steps, attend AA meetings etc etc".
Being fairly pragmatic, I like my theories to be applicable in a practical sense. I think that the first step is almost a self-defeating philosophy in the sense that it encourages a mindset of weakness, as opposed to the desirable and necessary strong mindset needed to overcome alcoholism long-term.
Obviously steps 2 and 3 raise questions in themselves - why must a higher power (as I understand 'it' to be) be responsible for me? Why can't I sort my own mess out?
4-10, when interpreted as instructions in cleansing ones own spirit are understandable - I believe them to be a symbolic representation of a process we all must go through, so I won't pick holes there.
11: similar to above but sounds like scapegoating, a skill alcoholics are notoriously good at. I believe my problems to be my responsibility and no-one elses. Yes, this places pressure on me, but it also encourages pro-activity rather than stagnation or pointing the finger of blame. Surely this is a more healthy approach?
12 sounds like an instruction to propagate the steps - perfectly reasonable if they have led to the spiritual awakening described.
So yeah, steps 1, 2, 3 and 11 are particularly hard for me to swallow. I could go into further detail if required, but i'd like to facilitate discussion of how others interpret these steps, and how they've worked for you.
I would love to buy into AA, but these (apparent) logical flaws have prevented me from doing so. I'd really appreciate a balanced discussion of the issues raised, hopefully with the conclusion being a little more understanding of the steps on my part!
Jake