Welcome to the first Stepworkshop groups of 2011! It’s been wonderful getting to meet everyone from all the world! Fasten your seat belts everyone, cause we’re in for a Grand Adventure!
Everyone loves the speaker tapes assignment! The speaker tapes we’ll be listening to in the first week of the Stepworkshop are:
AA 12 Steps Speakers Scott L. and Bob D. on Step 1 – Powerless
and
Alanon Speaker: Mary Pearl 1st tape in 12 Steps Series
In the first exercise of Step One we begin to develop and practice the principle of honesty. And to define the concept of our powerlessness over people, places and things. As Scott and Bob noted in their speaker tape discussion “alcohol comes in a variety of forms: sugar, slot machines….”
As we talked about in 12 Steps: Not Just Another Label, all we do when we when we come into recovery is put down the bottle that has the label that says alcohol and pick up another bottle with another label. Using…whether it’s a person, place or thing is just another manifestation of the spiritual malady that is my disease as described on page 62 of the Big Book.
Mary Pearl says it best on her speaker tape where she admitted to being addicted to people, places and things. Her admission of being addicted to adrenaline helps us realize that even though we belong to different fellowships, we’re really not that different. We suffer from the same soul sickness. Only difference is the labels.
The January 15, reading in the ODAAT in Al-Anon book says “Unless we both work to overcome the emotional conflicts within ourselves, we remain at a standstill. Our troubles only take new forms because they did not stem from alcoholism, but from the personality flaws that caused the alcoholism and from our emotional reactions to them”. Love that!
In admitting our powerlessness over people, places, things, circumstances and/or events we take the first Step in our journey back into the sunshine of the spirit!
The 12 Stepworkshop Groups began on January 9, 2011. To start at the beginning of this Stepworkshop series, please go here.
To do ALL the assignments and exercises with complete instructions, you must register and attend our online Stepworkshop. Go here to register.
Everyone from the recovery community is welcome to share their thoughts on the speaker tapes and with working the 12 Steps. Please share your experience, strength and hope with us in the Comments Section below. In accordance with our Traditions, your email address will not be made public.
Lest we forget:
*Honesty is the spiritual principle we practice in Step One.
**Honesty is the ability to be honest with yourself.
***Perk your ears up and listen closely to First Step concepts and key words during discussions meetings.
****At meetings, share about your experience with the First Step and its core principle honesty.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
If you are thinking of doing this online workshop would strongly recommend it.This workshop will put a ROCKET under your recovery.Fred M Melbourne, AUSTRALIA )))
by God’s grace i am sober 18 years sober. i have currently been through emotional hell and it is a miracle i did not drink. i am currently working step 1 to regain my emotional sobriety and found this site. i am so grateful.
Join us for Step 1 Exercise 1 at Stepworkshop.com, tell us your fav speaker tape! http://tinyurl.com/5tcbro4 #12steps #recovery #sobriety
We learned that we had to fully concede to our innermost selves that we were addicts. This is the first step in recovery. (BB p30)
This is a very important statement concerning the first step. I had to learn what being an addict actually meant. To understand the true nature and gravity of addiction is vital if I am going to work the steps daily to the best of my ability. I learnt that I suffer from the disease of addiction by getting to lots of meetings and listening to other members share their experience, strength and hope. I would suggest tuning into the guys who have some time under their belts because most of them seem to know what they’re talking about. I would also suggest reading the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous with another addict who is properly armed with the facts about himself and pay particular attention to the first 164 pages.
I have come to believe that I suffer from an illness from which there is no known cure and abstinence from all mind altering chemicals is suggested.
This is where my problem lies, I can’t live life on life’s terms without using drugs – drugs were my solution to life and they became a necessity. I had no Power to choose whether I used/drank, I simply used/drank. Drugs were my way of getting connected to something, which would make everything seem “ok”; The problem was once I put that first drug inside me this phenomena of craving developed and I was off and running. I had no ability to control how much I was going to use. I would go to the dealer and think to myself, I’ll just have a couple of stones and that would be it, no more and I would sincerely mean it. I would be back and forth to the cash machine all night and all morning until the money ran out. After all the money was gone I would be walking home thinking “How the bloody hell did that happen?” I would repeat this behaviour over and over and over again. Day in day out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out.
I had a mind that would forget and all I would focus on would be the hit, the buzz, the feeling. The last debauch would be put to the back of my mind, my will was insufficient to prevent me from repeating the same behaviour and all I could think of was that first one, which would give me a feeling of ease and comfort. I could let out a huge sigh of relief immediately after taking that first hit, which would make it all better or so I thought. I was deluded, insane, in full flight from reality! This thought or obsession took me to near death experiences and places I never knew existed or had only read about. It dam near killed me!
So I have learnt that I suffer from a two fold illness – A mental obsession and a physical allergy. The main problem centres in my mind rather than my body.
Lack of Power, that was our dilemma – We had to find a Power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? (BB p45) I found this Power by finding a man who was properly armed with the facts about himself and the gravity of this disease, and by following a few simple rules outlined in the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
I have as a result of learning about the illness I suffer from and by working through the 12 steps that I have lived with God and without God in my life and today I know what I prefer.
Tflms
Powerless for me means complete and utter defeat. It is a total loss of self control. I have always prided myself on being able to manage and control any situation but after doing this exercise I have come to the conclusion that for all these years it was really my disease in training. I always seemed to feel that I was in control of my own destiny, whatever I put my mind to I could accomplish, but of course alcohol is the great exception. I lost 50 lbs by “putting my mind to it”, got my class 1 driver’s license and operated heavy machinery while I put myself through nursing school.
Being powerlessness means that I have to ask for help, something that I am not eager or willing to do at times. I have learned that I cannot maintain sobriety and keep chaos out of my life without help. It humbles me to think that I am a needy person as I always thought I can do anything myself.
Admittance to me means that I have to become completely honest with myself and others and let the truth exist. I cannot handle alcohol, without a doubt I am powerless and I need others to lean on in times of chaos.
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