Before I came to surrender to the fact that I was an alcoholic I had to surrender to the basic fact that my life was unmanageable. Nothing in my life was working. Nothing. My job, my marriage, my relationships, etc. I was a danger to society, and to myself. I came to understand in AA that the most important word in Step one is WE. I could not get sober on my own, but WE the group, or someone else in the group one on one – usually a sponsor could help me get sober. This is why AA works and is successful. Before I truly surrendered I had been in and out of AA for months, and the moment I was in a meeting, and picked up a white chip ( a chip that signifies you are going to quit drinking and try AA) something happened that had never happened before. After the meeting someone came up to me and said, “If you are serious about getting sober then get a sponsor.” A sponsor is someone who leads you through the steps, and is there for you as you progress through getting sober. I got a sponsor, and it worked. I sit here writing sober 16 years later. WE can do it.

Step One

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

—Step One of AA

There are many different versions of the First Step for recovering alcoholics. Some of us alcoholics admit powerlessness over alcohol or another’s alcoholism. Some of us admit powerlessness over people; some over the impact of growing up in an alcoholic family.

One of the most significant words in the First Step is the word we. We come together because of a common problem, and, in the coming together, we find a common solution.

Through the fellowship of Twelve Step programs, many of us discover that although we may have felt alone in our pain, others have experienced a similar suffering. And now many are joining hands in a similar recovery.

We. A significant part of recovery. A shared experience. A shared strength, stronger for the sharing. A shared hope—for better lives and relationships.