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The word surrender to most people means to lose, to throw up a white flag, to admit defeat. In recovery the amount of freedom through the surrender process is astonishing. It’s really the basis of the program. Step One, we ADMITTED we were powerless… there is an element of surrender in that statement.
Admit
Confess to be true or to be the case.
Synonyms: acknowledge, confess, reveal, make known, disclose, divulge, make public, avow, declare, profess, own up to, make a clean breast of, bring into the open, bring to light, give away, blurt out, and leak.
Step Two takes it to the next level, ‘we came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity’. Letting go of the idea that we are in power and in control is key to step two. If you have delved into the steps you’ll know that self-will is one of the key reasons we are in this position. As addiction goes on, our thought processes become distorted. Addiction compromises our decision making abilities and that becomes a permanent feature. A myth is that once we stop using, our lives return to normal, including our thinking. This is false, the real work starts once we stop using. Getting clean is one thing, staying clean is another.
Having faith that there is a power out there that can and will play the most important role in recovery is vital. Again OUR WILL AND DECISION MAKING ABILITY HAS BEEN COMPRAMISED. You can’t solve the problem with the thinking that caused the problem.
Surrender or letting go is a common spiritual principal found in the steps and in the program. Surrender also falls into our day to day life in recovery.
Step Three, ‘we made a decision (daily) to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God us we understood him’. This is as it says, handing your will over to the God of your understanding. It’s really straight forward.
Step Four, in this step the surrender may not be equally visible as the first three steps. What we are surrendering to is the need, despite the fear and threat of vulnerability to get as honest about ourselves and our past as possible. Surrendering to the fear and making the decision to continue forward regardless. Having faith and trust in the process, we are embarking on and throwing our torn lives at the mercy of a proven system. This I believe is the surrender experienced in the first four steps.
