The Role Of A Higher Power In Recovery

Spirituality is a big topic in recovery. Talking about ideas of religion, beliefs, faith, and spirituality is a turnoff for many people and sends them running for the hills before giving recovery a chance. Alcoholics Anonymous and its associated twelve step program is one of the oldest most well known approaches to recovery from drug addiction and alcoholism. Within the content of the steps themselves and the primary text for the group, The Big Book Of Alcoholics Anonymous, there is much talk of “God”. Frequently, God is immediately followed with a saying similar to “as you understood Him”. The text emphasizes that you need not feel as though you must adhere to a denominational God of any kind. You must simply find and develop a relationship with something you would consider your higher power. It is finding this higher power, surrendering to it, and living by it’s will, that accomplish the goal of the twelve steps: a spiritual experience.

Founder of AA

Before Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, founded AA, he was a belligerent alcoholic. On his last trip to the hospital, where he was informed that another drink could damage his brain forever, he was desperate. A dear friend of his had been attending meetings of the Oxford group who had developed a program of spiritual sorts, upon which Bill W. would found AA. While contemplating the existence of something called God and the idea of higher power, Bill was visited by his friend who said to him very plainly: create your own God. Bill had a spiritual experience- a shining moment of clarity and understanding. He stayed sober the rest of his life.

So critical was that moment to Bill that he decided to share it with others- hundreds of millions of others. Nothing else worked. Very little research and understanding about alcoholism was available at the time. Like wildfire, word of the spiritual experience spread. Alcoholic after alcoholic was having a spiritual experience and being struck with sobriety. For decades, it has worked for people all over the world.

The science of God, faith, and belief, has confounded scientists for centuries. Some have referred to the “God molecule” in the brain while others flat out reject the notion. Alcoholics who have reached a point of ultimate desperation and pain in their lives are often faithless. They’ve lost their way of believing in anything because alcohol and drugs has essentially become their religion. A higher power is something to put trust in, have confidence in, and let go of all control to. Believing in an entity which believes in you and your ability to recover can be a life altering discovery.

Harmony Place knows that spiritual development is important to recovery. We balance our programs with science-backed treatment methods with spiritual development through alternative therapy modalities. For a private consultation and more information on our programs of treatment call  1-855-627-1417.