How Acceptance, as a Spiritual Principle of Sobriety, Helps Through the AA Steps
Over two million people are involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, according to estimates. This is good news because it means that over two million people are taking steps to overcome their addiction.
The biggest part of using AA to beat addiction is understanding how AA works and the principles it champions. For example, they say that the first step to addiction recovery is admitting that you have a problem. In AA, this is known as the principle of acceptance.
Acceptance goes further than just admitting you have an addiction, though. We'll discuss what acceptance in AA means here.
Acceptance First
Acceptance plays a key role in two of AA's twelve steps, the first and the fifth. The first step in AA is admitting to ourselves and others that we have an addiction to alcohol, and that we can't seem to stop it.
This mirrors the situation that caused our addiction/s in the first place. Addiction and addiction recovery both begin with surrender. The difference is that addiction begins when we surrender to a substance, and recovery starts when we surrender to God, our family, and our friends.
Acceptance of Our Past
It's been estimated that about one-third of Americans can be classified as alcoholics. This might sound surprising, but things are more hopeful than they seem. 5% of people in any given year will have alcoholism, which means that rates of recovery are also high.
We can't overcome addiction if we don't admit the mistakes we've made in pursuit of it. Dependency is all-consuming. It causes us to put aside friends, family, health, and other important aspects of our lives.
Step 5, when we reach it, is about admitting to the things we've done and the people we've hurt in pursuit of our dependency. The exact wording of Step 5 is "admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."
Committing to Recovery
Admitting to addiction and admitting our past is difficult and a great example of why most AA steps involve cultivating virtues. Admitting our problems takes courage, and continuing forward with the process and being vulnerable requires self-discipline.
We need to recognize and celebrate our achievements as we move forward. AA does help with its chip system. When you surpass an AA chips milestone, you get a chip celebrating the accomplishment.
It doesn't hurt to celebrate your milestones on your own, as well. Think of things you like to do, aside from drinking, and use your milestone as an excuse to do that.
Acceptance in AA: A Guide
Cultivating acceptance in AA is vital. Making progress means making peace with who we are and where we've been. Denial keeps us from truly recovering.
For every low point, there will be a triumph, and for every triumph, there should be a celebration. We can help you celebrate. We've been making chips and similar goods since 2010, and we're still thriving.
We invite you to look through our collection of Aluminum AA coins for your next big milestone. If coins aren't your thing, we have plenty of other gifts to celebrate with.