The dominant culture calls us into isolation – when the going gets tough the tough get going – have it your way – be all that you can be – just say no!  The truth is that wholeness and health are not found in isolation – wholeness and health are found in loving relationship – and – loving relationship is found in surrender.

Surrender is generally not understood as a positive word in our culture and society, but true surrender – surrender to a higher power – surrender to a loving relationship is the path to freedom – the path to wholeness and health.

That is much of the power found in the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and the remainder of the Anonymous family of fellowships.  The foundational understandings are outlined in the first three steps.  As it says in the Big Book:

We thought we could find an easier, softer way.  But we could not.  With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start.  Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely . . . Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery [a path toward wholeness and health]:

1.  We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [over life] – that our lives had become unmanageable.

2.  Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3.  Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

By letting go “absolutely” we fall into loving relationship, and loving relationship is where we find freedom – it is where we find wholeness and health – it is where we find life!

For more information about the Big Book visit http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/