How Belief in a Higher Power Impacts Recovery

12-Step-Programs

12-step-programs are wildly popular among a high percentage of recovering individuals, not just in the United States, but around the world. Good reasons stand for this regard. The fellowship, the community, the inspirational text of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, and most importantly, the hope. When our human strength just doesn’t seem to be enough to counteract the influence of addiction and alcoholism, looking to a higher power of our understanding can help us find the hope we need to persevere through hard times. Many mental health experts agree that addicts benefit from seeking outside help of some kind in order to recover. Addicts need to step outside themselves, in order to take in and embrace a more unbiased view of their situation.

The Power of Hope

Hope is a powerful thing, and so is faith. Both hope and faith help us to see that in each moment, good or bad, it too shall pass. Having faith and putting trust into a higher power cannot alone keep us sober, and it also cannot serve as an excuse for any regressive behavior. A full program of recovery must continue to be lived in order to best ensure long term sobriety. Managing medications, routinely seeing a counselor or therapist, participating in support groups, and being of service to others to name a few components. In addition, remaining honest, open-minded and willing to stay sober and do the work required will always prove successful.

Spiritual Experience

The 12 steps and the program of Alcoholics Anonymous discuss a “spiritual experience”. The Big Book of AA quotes famed philosopher William James when he said that the experiences (had through doing the 12 steps and finding a higher power) are of an “educational variety” meaning that they do not develop quickly, but rather more slowly over time. The belief in a higher power seems to be largely due to the fact that the impossible has been miraculously made possible. The gripping torture of a drug or alcohol addiction, among other things, can make life seem like there will never be any other way. Recovering from this, finally being able to be taken out of such a ghastly dark into such a beautiful light, seems, quite realistically, supernatural, to say the least. Surely, if something so much more powerful than ourselves could help us achieve this, anything in our lives is possible.The Last Resort has hope for your recovery. It is possible to recover and stay sober. Put your faith in us to find you the treatment program that is right for you. Call today at 512-750-6750.