STEP 1
Honesty
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.”
Admitting the problem is a crucial first step. Once clients admit their problem is out of control, they can begin to heal. The spiritual principle behind this step is honesty.
A SOZO Client’s Point of View:
“Although I have only been at SOZO a few weeks, I am coming to see myself as I truly am. Although I may have abilities and skills in different areas, however, when I use drugs and/or alcohol, I become completely powerless, and my life becomes unmanageable. I have resisted admitting this for some time. It feels good to finally tell the truth about my situation, which people here at SOZO say is a health condition shared by many others. I didn’t know I had to be honest to take Step one and this always had been lacking in the past. I just could not admit that I was powerless regarding my drugs of choice. And I didn’t know that reading and understanding the bible could relate to sobriety. It seems easier in this program to get to know the other guys. I wouldn’t say that I’m exactly “comfortable” with all of them, but at least I’m not uncomfortable anymore. I must admit that it’s easier to see and admit my problem when I’m surrounded by others with similar, if not identical situations”.
What Step 1 of AA Actually Says
Step 1 holds two ideas in one sentence. The first is powerlessness, and it means willpower alone has not stopped the drinking or the drug use. The second is unmanageability, which is an honest look at what addiction has cost a man at work and at home.
Most men arrive at SOZO sure they should handle this on their own. They have tried, and many quit for a week or a month before they ended up back in the same place. Step 1 asks a man to stop fighting a battle he keeps losing and to tell the truth about it.
Signs a Man’s Life Has Become Unmanageable
Unmanageability looks different in every man, but a few patterns show up again and again:
- He promises to cut back and breaks the promise within days.
- He misses work, or he hides his drinking to hold on to a job.
- Money runs short because it goes to alcohol or drugs.
- His family stays careful around him, or they quietly pull away.
- Guilt and worry keep him up at night, and prayer no longer quiets them.
- He has tried to quit alone two or three times, and it did not last.
A man who sees himself in a few of these lines has learned something useful about his life. That knowledge points him toward the honesty Step 1 asks for.
Admitting Powerlessness Takes Courage
Some men believe that admitting powerlessness means giving up. We see the opposite every week, because it takes more courage to say “I need help” than to keep pretending everything is under control. Addiction has a physical root and a spiritual root, and alcohol and drugs change the brain in ways that grit alone cannot reverse.
When a man sets that weight down, he gets back the energy he spent hiding and defending his drinking. He can spend it on recovery now. That is why Step 1 comes first, because the other steps take hold only after a man is honest about where he stands.
What Step 1 Looks Like for Men in Treatment
Step 1 is more than one statement on one day. For men on our Jessieville campus, it plays out over the first weeks of treatment in group therapy and in one-on-one counseling. A man may write an honest history of what his drinking has cost him. Then he reads it aloud in a room of men who understand, and for many of them it is the first time they speak about it without shame.
The men-only setting matters here. Men often guard their pride in mixed groups, and honesty comes easier among men who have sat in the same chair. SOZO is a CARF-accredited, faith-based program that joins the 12-step method with Christian faith and evidence-based care under ASAM standards. A man takes Step 1 with support around him, and our team stays beside him through the steps that follow.
Starting takes one phone call. Our admissions team listens on the first call and helps your family find the right level of care. Call SOZO Recovery Center at 501-984-5317.
PRINCIPLED RECOVERY SERIES – 12 STEPS TO SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) defines the 12 Steps as “a set of principles, spiritual in nature, when practiced as a way of life, that can expel the obsession to drink (or use drugs) and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole.”
The 12 steps are a process of getting honest with yourself, cleaning up the wreckage of your past, and learning how to live your life in a better, more meaningful & principled way. Based on the idea of God as each individual understands him, the 12 steps are generally spiritual in nature.
In this article series, we examine each of the 12 step principles from a SOZO client’s perspective, as they journey through the twelve steps. Through direct survey feedback, we’ll join various clients and their growing awareness of the spiritual principles behind each step in this series of articles.
The honest foundation of your early recovery helps you maintain daily perseverance through the personal inventory of step 10 aa.
Questions people ask
What is step 1 in AA?
Step 1 states that participants admit they are powerless over alcohol and their lives have become unmanageable. Admitting this problem helps clients begin to heal.
What is step one in AA?
This step means getting honest with yourself and admitting your problem is out of control. Clients learn they share a health condition with many others.
What is the spiritual principle of step 1?
The spiritual principle behind this step is honesty. Clients must tell the truth about their situation to take this step.
The honest foundation you build today prepares you to make direct amends in step 9 aa as your recovery continues.
The honesty of step 1 carries forward, and our page on step 8 na shows how it grows into brotherly love.