The "We" of the Program

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
--Step One of Al-Alon

There are many different versions of the First Step for recovering codependents. Some of us 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 hopes - for better lives and relationships.

Today, I will be grateful for the many people across the world who call themselves "recovering." Help me know that each time one of us takes a step forward, we pull the entire group forward.

You are reading from the book The Language of Letting Go. Melody Beattie
©1990, Hazelden Foundation.

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