Originally Posted by
Realest 
Ok I understand that when I drink I am powerless I have a physical allergy and a mental obsession that gets me every time. But are we still powerless over alcohol when we are not drinking?
I heard someone say that without a higher power they are powerless even when alcohol is not in step one is so misunderstand. Can someone explain.?
Step 1 means this to me: I am powerless over what happens once I take that first drink. Maybe nothing, maybe a blackout.
My life is unmanageable: This was readily apparent. My life was a mess when I joined AA.
I found step 1 as clear as day. It hit me like a bag of bricks my first meeting.
We can go round and round about the importance of a higher power along with the other 11 steps. However, if one can't clearly see (or perhaps feel is better word) how step 1 relates to them sobriety may prove difficult.
26 years later I can still remember where my life was the day before joining AA. Plenty of ups and downs since then but one thing I know for certain and that is my life is moving in the right direction.