To admit that you are powerless over an addiction can be difficult for someone taking their first step toward quitting the addiction. Every instinct often cries out against the idea of personal powerlessness and life being unmanageable. Who wants to admit those things? And how could they be true? We are all aware that addiction does not discriminate and could be impacting someone with a stellar career, whether a custody assistant or a commander (or any position in between). We also know that little good can come to anyone struggling with addiction, unless they have accepted their lack of control over it and all of its consequences.

Let us take a few moments to discuss what is meant by powerlessness in this context. Powerlessness is not meant to convey that a person is powerless over all aspects of their life, nor is it meant to say someone is powerless in general. When used in the context of addiction, powerlessness is meant as having no power over the effects of the addiction. To be even more clear, it is meant to describe how the compulsion to engage in an addiction takes over once the addictive behavior is engaged in, even a little. In real life, this looks like you not being able to control the addictive behavior (i.e., not being able to limit drinking alcohol to appropriate levels or stop when it becomes a problem).

It can be scary to admit that your addiction has become unmanageable; however, admitting that you are powerless over an addiction allows you an opportunity to take steps to get your life back on track. Accepting that you are powerless builds a sense of humility and honesty that is essential to doing the hard work necessary to break an addiction. It will allow you to survey the destruction your addiction has caused. It encourages acceptance of what is true and what is not. Part of admitting powerless also means acknowledging the reasons why you struggle to admit the problem in the first place. Acknowledging powerlessness can also allow you to focus your time and energy on things that are within your control. Maybe this includes developing new coping strategies, accessing resources and finding the support you need to be able to make a change.