Isn't "could" the key word?
 

"Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity"

So whether or not someone belives in God, science, or AA or none of the above, Isn't this step more about the possibility then the definition?

I beleive in a higher power, but do not get along with it very well. As someone who is trying to begin step 2, I can't help but feel that possibility is the key. I do believe that a HP could restore me to sanity. I doubt that it will, but it is a posssibility.

I am completeely opening myself up to get chewed out by everyone. Please refrain from doing so. Thanks.

CatFry,
Skepticism is perfectly acceptable and welcomed. I had serious doubts as to whether the twelve steps (and a Power greater than myself) would make any difference in resolving my problem with alcohol. But I followed the directions given to me by my guide/mentor and did the work that was asked of me. I found the actual progression to be: I came. Then I came to. And finally I came to believe. Coming to believe was a result of working the rest of the steps rather than a condition of doing the steps.

Actually the 2nd step question is: "Do I now believe or am I even willing to believe that there is a Power greater than myself?" The rest of the paragraph goes on to say, "As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built." p. 47 BB of AA, 1st Ed. If you can answer "yes" to the question, you are on your way.

To summarize: Step One is a description of the Problem (lack of power) and Step Two is a statement of the Solution (a Power greater than ourselves). By the way, if you don't have a sponsor guiding you through the process of taking the steps, I would strongly advise and encourage you to find someone to work with you. It is very difficult to do this work alone; I benefited immensely from having a knowledgeable guide.
Susan

LOL... that's awesome, because I know EXACTLY how you feel... I doubted it too, LOL. But even then, on my first go through, I believed that He could and would, I believed that absolutely... I just wasn't sure I'd let Him.

:)

Awesome post, CatFry!! I can almost feel the rigorous and sincere honesty working deeply, healing your delimna from the inside out, as you take responsibility for being true to yourself. Way awesome.

I felt exactly the same way myself in my initial work with the AA program. As my experiences progressed thru the program, each next step brought increasing clarity and purpose with my believe in a higher power to restore my sanity.

As for getting along with my HP, I have long ago discovered it is an ideal blessing to not always "get along" with my higher power, lol. If I was always in agreement, I would have a real problem far more disturbing then my struggles with my HP.

Have a great day. :)

To an extent I think that the written word is like a rorschach. Different people will attribute to different words different amounts of emphasis/significance. The important thing is how does it help you understand the concept of a higher power in relationship to drinking/not drinking. You sponsor should have a depth and breadth of understanding that will blow you away. If not you may want to find a new sponsor.

At the end of How It Works in the Big Book it states....c)that God "could" and "would" if He were SOUGHT!! This means to me that I have to do what it takes to seek a Higher Power and to learn to trust that He will restore my sanity. The "sanity" mentioned in the 2nd step doesn't imply that I'm crazy. What it does mean is that time after time, day after day, having my life wrecked more and more by alcohol that I continue to drink thinking "this time it will be different." The day I stopped drinking was the day I got the message that "not drinking" was the only way anything was going to change. By that time I was on the verge of losing everything important to me. You don't have to go that far.

No, no, no, quite the opposite. Skepticism is OK. When I approached Step 2 for the 1st time, I felt very similarly. I operated from the standpoint of, "I don't think so, but it's possible." Early on, I think my standpoint was more of, "It better be possible, or I'm completely screwed." But it seemed to work for those people, and I had nothing to lose by trying.

Turns out, those people were right. The only thing they were wrong about was just how deeply they were right.

I started out asking "anyone or any thing out there" to help me stay sober today,and then saying thank you that night
that was a start for me

I quit trying to define it and then I started to experience it

I say my prayers like my sponsor told me to do.
He said that he did it morning and night and half the time he thought he was talking to the wall but it kept him sober. He died sober in '97. I have continued as he did and here we are in 2012. Amazing !!

Wishing everyone the best on the road to recovery.

Bob

My past had numerous psychiatrist, psych ward and suicide attempts for years, I found the words "restored to sanity" almost an unattainable condition.

I took the word "could" as having the ability to do so, not "maybe yes, maybe no". I couldn't commit to the long recovery road ahead if it was a "crap shoot".
I held firmly to the phrase "could, and would if he were sought"... and I started seeking.

So far it's worked since '89..

Wishing you all the best.

Bob R.

in simple questions: is your way working? do you believe another way (the steps) can work (by listening to others' stories, both in meetings & on speaker tapes)?

xa-speakers.com take a listen

my way wasn't working, I thought the steps might. I made a decision to continue & was guided through 4, 5, 6 + 7...I had a profound change during 6...I continued through to 12. As a result of working these 12.steps, I came to believe & to experience the steps, as written...

the steps, as written, are an overview of what we did.

........Sounds like your right where your supposed to be......

"At the start, this was all that we needed to commence spritual growth, to effect our first concious contact relation with god as we understood him" .

BB 1st edition P47.

I first came to believe that not drinking could restore me to sanity. The AA fellowship was a power greater than me and I saw it was working for others, so maybe it would work for me. I was another of the fake it to you make it people. Years later I still feel like I'm faking it, but I'm still sober.

Interesting, Db. I have felt that 'faking it' was a necessary skill sometimes required to 'push thru' and get the day done. I'm not sure about still feeling like I'm faking it nowadays though. I know you too have decades of sober time, and so I'm wondering if you could perhaps expand on your experiences.

I think Step 2 is saying we can be nuts, and we need to be open to something besides addictive thinking, bare minimum. From there it can go lots of ways.

I like in HOW IT WORKS where it says "We stood at the turning point". I have stood there often over the years. I literally stand there moment by moment. Sometimes in a 10th Step degree and sometimes in a 4th Step degree.
AA is a program of continuing growth ( http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...16-2013-a.html ) and it's my choice when I get up in the morning and go through my day whether I try to grow or not. That requires a certain amount of "faking it" or at least "stepping out of the box" to reach for a closer relationship with my HP and fellow travelers. To go up , not sideways.

I have found that I have done the first half of Step1 perfectly (I haven't stuck the bottle in my mouth since July 18, 1989) but the rest of the 11 1/2 Steps require continuing practice and improvement if I want to take full opportunity of what is available in the program.
In the end it's for me, and all my practicing (drinking) life I let myself down more than anyone... except maybe God.

To focus on the "could" makes it sound like a crap shoot. I believe, as stated earlier "God "could" and "would" if He were sought" .
How often will I seek him ?? In the beginning it was just enough to get by. As I go along I realize that I am my own worst enemy and the more I seek the more I'll receive. I don't want to let myself down in this ... nor everyone I touch. We are all connected.

All the best.

Bob R

It's in the willingness to do the seeking, not finding.

I too am struggling with the HP. However, something has to be helping me along. I don't know, maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

So I figure I have nothing to lose at this point by opening up to the possiblity that maybe it is. My ego got me in trouble to begin with so I need to let my ego go.

I have been struggling in the sense that I just wish I could be 100% better and never have to worry about this stuff again. But I know that I can't do that. I need to believe in something and I need to find something that will keep me going forward. If I don't I'm scared my ego will be the end of me. So that is why I am going to give AA and the HP thing an honest try and to keep my mind open.

Not sure it this makes any sense at all!

I was given to understand the "could restore us to sanity" part was solely in reference to the strange mental twist I had regarding another drink being a good idea at times. Obviously I didn't have or was likely to magically develop that ability to any really useful degree.

The convincer for me was the number of alcoholics I saw who believed they had that who drank again. There is never a shortage of quality visual aids in our crowd, so paying attention to results pays off often.

The personal conception I developed during the course of step 2 had that amount of power, to get between me and my next drink. "could" was answered for me. "would" demanded trust and decision, which is partly what step 3 resolved.

"Could" isn't really an important word for me per se. I quit arguing semantics and let the essence and message of step 2 come in to my awareness (lol what little of it I have...).

In the second step, I understand that I need to heed a higher truth than the immediate desires or terrors of my ego.