12 Step Programs Cause Addiction

We are all familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous and their 12 step program, and how it purports to help those addicted to alcohol straighten out their lives. Some of the 12 steps are certainly well intended, and will indeed help the addict confront their addiction - or, at the very least, help them make amends for their past mistakes.

However, the very foundation of the 12 step program is so fundamentally flawed that it actually empowers the addiction more than the addict, usually leading to a lifetime of dependence and requiring that the addict struggle "one day at a time" to overcome alcoholism. Unfortunately, in a 12 steps program, this "one day at a time" struggle will never end ... and it's all because of the first step.

In case you need a refresher, AA's First Step is as follows: "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable." To you, that may seem to be a fairly innocuous first step - perhaps even helpful or necessary as the addict must admit his weakness so he can start getting the help he needs. However, this first step is as dangerous of a first step as any that could be taken.

"Powerless" is a VERY Bad First Step

Think about being "powerless" for a moment - and ask yourself the following question: Can I ever truly overcome ANYTHING if I believe myself to be powerless before it? The answer is, of course, no. And the answer will remain "no" whether you're trying to get over an addiction to alcohol, the heartache of a failed relationship, or anything else in your life. You will never truly get over something as long as you consider IT to be superior to you, and you powerless before IT.

This belief weakens you before the very thing that you need to be strong against. It is learned helplessness and will cause you to develop a victim mentality. Even worse, your struggle against alcohol addiction will haunt you for the rest of your life if you choose to go down the AA road. Fortunately, there is a better "first step" to overcome alcohol addiction, and it's the opposite of AA's First Step.

A Better 1st Step: Empower Yourself

The first step toward overcoming alcohol addiction is to empower yourself by recognizing these 3 truths:

• Your Creator has already given you all the strength and willpower you need to overcome your addiction
• You already have the power to control what does or doesn't go into your body
• The only power that alcohol ever had over you was the power that you gave it
  

Build a Foundation of Power

The fact is that you already have the God-given willpower to overcome your addiction to alcohol, and when you recognize that fact you will be well on your way to being free from the debilitating effects of alcohol in your life.

While Self Empowerment is only the first step toward an alcohol free lifestyle, it nevertheless is such an important foundational belief that all subsequent steps will become substantially easier to handle. I can not more strongly urge you to AVOID 12 step programs that empower the addiction, and weaken you.

Instead, choose to Empower Yourself, and the addiction will soon be a part of your past, and you can start living life to its fullest today. Are you "powerless" before alcohol? Not in the least! The truth is, alcohol is powerless before you.