From the other side of the house, Al-Anon, and I have to agree with most of what was said here.
Except for powerlessness. Now before you raise your hackles you need to know I am a half-assed Buddhist with a mindfulness practice and there is a lot of good stuff in there.
To me powerlessness means giving up the illusion of control. I can't control other people, places or things. I can't even control my own thoughts or emotions. But, what I do have is the power to make choices. When a thought pops up in my head I have the choice to follow it or not, to pay attention to it or not, to let it take over or not. When I am feeling strong emotions I have the choice to attach to that emotion and run with it or to simply let it go. When something bothers me I have the choice to let it ruin my day or simply watch it float away.
That is real power.
A great zen saying that describes this better than I can.
I am a mountain.
My thoughts and emotions are clouds.
The clouds can't move the mountain, the mountain doesn't cling to the clouds.
Hope this makes sense.
Your friend,