First Three Steps of NA | AA From a Science Perspective
Sometimes re-framing the first three steps of NA | AA from a science perspective can help those in early sobriety who are
Exploring the First Three Steps of NA | AA from a science perspective is one of the topics covered in my latest book.
seeking recovery through a 12 step program. It can help because they can better understand and appreciate why all of the dogged willpower and determination they’d exerted to control how much they drank or used time and again had not worked. This same information can also help family members and friends better appreciate why they, too, are powerless over alcohol or drugs. It’s because they are powerless over another person’s brain if their drug of choice has been ingested due to the way addiction hijacks the brain.
The following is an excerpt from my book, Loved One in Treatment? Now What!
Applying This Research to the First Three Steps of AA and NA
Because the majority of addicts/alcoholics are introduced to and/or use Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA) at some point in their treatment and/or recovery, it is helpful to talk about the first three steps of these programs (listed below). Most addicts/alcoholics in early treatment/recovery (and often their family members and friends) are not convinced there is a God or Higher Power, nor do they believe that turning their lives and wills over to one makes any sense. Even though newcomers are assured that their God or Higher Power can be whatever/whomever they so choose, as long as it is something greater than themselves, many report feeling conflicted when they contemplate the first three steps of NA or AA. Here are those steps:
1 – We admitted we were powerless over alcohol/our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2 – Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3 – Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
For those who are confused by or worried about the meaning of these first three steps, it can help to think of them in terms of the new brain research as described in the following adaptation:
1 – Came to understand the disease of addition as a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that makes me powerless over my brain (therefore over my behaviors) when I ingest my substance of choice and to accept that I have the disease.
2 – Given the power of addiction cravings and the chemical and structural changes that have occurred in my brain because of my disease and/or my risk factors, I accept that my way of “handling” it by trying to control how much I use or drink cannot work.
3 – Accepting that “my way” did not and cannot work, I know I must abstain from my substance entirely, and I am open to trying any of the various treatment components available. If one fails, I will try another.
Sometimes using a concept of the first three steps in this manner can help addicts/alcoholics (and their family members and friends) embrace the notion and benefits of treatment and recovery, even if they do not believe in and/or grasp the 12-step explanation of God or a Higher Power.
Lisa Frederiksen
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I like the angle here, Lisa. Makes the steps much more meaningful and contemporary. I think it’ll reach a lot of people. Folks, I had the pleasure of reading a pre-release version of Lisa’s book. It’s a great read and will provide tons of assistance.
Thanks, Bill! I appreciate your opinion and comment and thanks for the endorsement of my book!!