Step 2 Came to Believe
Repeating the experiment of the 1st drink, over, and over, and expecting different results is “the Subtle Insanity which precedes the first drink” (Pg.40,¶2,L18). Lack of power Is powerlessness, “will power and self-knowledge would not help in those strange mental blank spots.” (Pg.42,Top¶,L6),
The Big Book is Spiritual, Not Religious. “We came to believe THAT a POWER GREATER than ourselves could restore us to sanity” (Pg.59,¶2). It’s not about who or what this POWER is, but what the POWER can do!
- Can I admit when I, “honestly want to, I find I cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking/using, I have little control over the amount I take” (Pg.44,¶1,L4).
- Do I believe I'm, “suffering from an illness which only a spiritual experience will
conquer?” (Pg.44,¶1,L7).
- Am I, “an alcoholic/addict of the hopeless variety …doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis?” (Pg.46,Top¶,L6).
- If, “Lack of power, is my dilemma" then Spiritual Power is the solution, "...that’s exactly what this book is about …to enable me to find a Power greater than myself which will solve my problem” (Pg.45,¶1,L8).
- a) Am I an ‘Agnostic?,’ “... have I shared honest doubt and prejudice?” b) Or does, “the word 'God' bring up a particular idea of Him?” (Pg.45,¶2+3,L21).
- The‘Great OutDoors’ offers amazing adventures, “if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So we used our own conception” (Pg.47,¶1+3,L11).
- a). Considering logic always follows, ‘Good Orderly Direction’ could it mean, "the possible existence of a Creative Intelligence, a Spirit of the Universe underlays the totality of things?” b). Why not believe, “God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him?” (Pg.46,¶2,L21-28)
- Since alcohol/drugs are more powerful than me, “Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?” (Pg.47,¶2,L14).
- Do I fear ridicule from family or friends?, “the contemporaries of Columbus thought a round earth preposterous” (Pg.51,¶2,L18).
The 12 steps are the same formula Columbus used to prove the world is round. He didn’t start with faith, he became willing to believe (Step 2), then he made a decision (Step 3). and took the actions (Steps 4-12). Once Columbus found the West Indies, his faith grew and he sailed back and forth as a rich man, 3 more times!
My insanity with alcohol/drugs causes my 1st Step surrender. Powerlessness causes my 2nd Step willingness to believe I need a higher Power. My Step 3 decision, (with nothing to lose), is to actively write a Step 4 inventory because, "Circumstances made me willing to believe" (Pg.57,¶1,L6).
- What can I lose?, “crushed by a self-imposed crisis… I have to fearlessly face the proposition that ...God either is, or He isn’t.” (Pg.53,¶2,L14)
- Here's a novel idea, “Why don’t I choose my own conception of God?” (Pg.14,¶2,L13).
- Can I see, “that faith in some kind of God is part of my make-up, just as much as the feeling I have for a friend …the Great Reality deep down within” (Pg.55,¶3,L15-19).
“Most emphatically we wish to say that any alcoholic/addict capable of honestly facing his problems in the light of our experience can recover, provided they do not close their mind to all spiritual concepts. They can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial.” (Pg.568-LP184,¶2,L5)
Step 2 Came to Believe