Originally Posted by
LaVallette 
I could not get my head around the “powerlessness” concept. I have a military background and am still in a paramilitary career. When faced with an obstacle I want to overcome it, not surrender. Through this forum I discovered Rational Recovery, I did the internet crash course yesterday and have made my Big Plan. I will never drink again and I will never change my mind. The RR book is on its way to my place. There is also a once-weekly SMART meeting nearby that I intend on going to, as long as it’s not counter-productive to RR. Although I have seen folks on this board who have made a success of combining a few different recovery modalities.
Hey Matt, thanks for the great personal share and your contributions of your experiences to the forums. Glad you're not just lurking. Its good to get in there and make things happen with a bit of our own spin to it, lol.
Yeah, you can for sure use different tools in combinations to be in recovery and so then become recovered. The most important element in that approach, in my opinion, is being sincere from the start that being yourself is the paramount and essential requirement going forward. Its not for the faint of heart, and not everybody wants to be so personally self-aware and in-the-moment practising the use of their selected tools for their chosen life-style.
I gotta tell you though, its absolutely worth the effort. I'm not a passive guy, and surrender is yet still just 'another tool' to get me and keep me where I want and need to be. Losing a battle to win the war is a common technique, as you know. Giving up the entire war to win freedom is also attractive and progressive. I don't fight with my addictions anymore, but it started out with me fighting for my life back in my earliest days. I have discovered surrender is not always waving a white flag, head hung over... surrender is also a path that leads to enlightenment when we keep our head held up with an open mind, and when we keep our ego well oiled and responsive to the moment at hand.
I hope for you every success, Matt.