When I got to AA, I was powerless, but not helpless.
If anything was going to change, I had to take the initiative.
I had to recognise I had a problem because I did not know the answer, and I was powerless because I did not have power, so I needed to seek answers and power.
It was not my fault I was in the position I was in, because, you know, powerlessness, but it was my responsibility to do something about it.
I used the Twelve Steps (and also the Traditions and the Concepts) and the wisdom of people in AA to learn how to:
- Manage my time effectively
- Cut out activities that were neither constructive nor restorative
- Develop a good daily routine
- Get to bed at a decent time
- Manage my finances sanely and prudently
- Acquire an education, skills, and an occupation
... plus many other things.
My pal Pookie said, 'You gotta take action to activate your faith; God ain't gonna slide no hotdog under your door.'
I came to AA with zero life skills and zero power.
The Higher Power, acting through people in AA, gave me both those skills and power, when I was willing to be shown a different way to live and take action concertedly, regardless of what I thought or felt about it.
I see the Twelve Steps as precisely the solution I found to the complete chaos in all areas of my life and my inability to do anything about that chaos based on my own wit and wherewithal.
If something else is working for anyone, that's great, too.
If something else is working for anyone, that's great, too.