Thoughts on Recovery – No. 7 – Fully concede to our innermost selves that we were alcoholics
What does it mean to for me to fully concede something? The definition of conced is to admit that something is true or valid after first denying or resisting it. This certainly applied for me. I have seen in others and myself that alcoholic behavior was exhibited long before fully conceding it. “The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it to the gates of insanity or death”. The big book is saying that most alcoholics will not concede and the result is insanity or death. Also by fully conceding that I am an alcoholic I am unconditionally surrendering that I will ever have the power of choice or control over alcohol. Then I can admit that I am powerless over alcohol.
To fully concede is to hit bottom. For me hitting bottom was to reach the point where I could no longer deny the truth about my situation. To see the reality of a situation is to be constitutionally capable of honesty. To concede to my innermost self is to admit in your heart and soul not intellectually but emotionally with complete acknowledgement that it will never change. Complete surrender to the truth of the situation. Unconditional surrender! An example is when the Japanese surrendered it was unconditional. When the representative was given the surrender document to sign by General MacArthur the Japanese leader went to put on his glasses to read it. MacArthur said to him you don’t need to read this! This is an unconditional surrender I have to make every day for rest of my life.
If I am powerless over alcohol then alcohol has all power over me. If God is the one who has all power than I have no god in my life. Therefore the solution to being powerless over alcohol is to have a relationship with that which has all power and that relationship will give me access to a power over alcohol. No God in my life no power over alcohol. The program of the 12 steps is to gain access to that power which I call God. The first step down this path is to fully concede that I am an alcoholic.
I had to concede to my inner most self that I suffered from the disease of addiction. I surrender myself every morning & sometimes throughout the day too! The BB is a blessing & helping May people every day
Today I am too blessed to be stressed! 🙏🏻
We concede that we were alcoholic. This is the first step of recovery. Because it needs to be behind. Not present in the now. Were is a past tense word. I am a recovered Alcoholic. Wouldnt ever drink it again. Abstinence is recovery, abstaining from drinking it. And I’m convinced to my innermost self about a helluva lot more than I was a alcoholic. Remember the definition of a alcoholic,, once he starts he doesnt stop. I’ve been stopped for 17 years and I am not gonna start. That is a permanent resolution for sobriety. It takes time for our spiritual, mental and physical to change.Without Gods help I wouldnt think the way I do today. I would encourage anyone willing to look at scripture to st it dy john 14:26. We have to be willing to learn and unlearn.