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Step Two

We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

      
       
 
 
Question 1: What do you mean, “a Power greater than ourselves”?
Answers:

My sponsor was quick to explain that AA did not care what my Higher Power looked like, what I called it or anything else about it. All I needed to do to begin my recovery process was to believe that there was a possibility that there might actually be a power greater than myself.
Chris H

I must assure you that AA’s tread innumerable paths in their quest for faith. If you don’t care for the one I’ve suggested, you’ll surely discover one that suits if only you look and listen.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

This step asks only for an open mind. The hope lies in the fact that this power, greater than ourselves, may grant us the sanity to know the truth about ourselves.
Gifford D

It wasn’t easy but somehow I found the humility to admit that perhaps the universe did not begin and end with me.
John H
 
 
Question 2: This sounds religious! Religion gives me the creeps. What’s this all about?
Answers:

The solution offered by the twelve steps is most definitely spiritual in nature. Unlike religions, however, the steps encourage you to develop your own understanding of a Higher Power. You begin this relationship on your own terms. No religion I ever heard of is like that.
Robert P

Religions are about telling you what God is like and how to go about worshipping Him. What the steps offer is a way to experience God on your own terms and develop a relationship with Him/Her. This experience begins with God saving you from the hellhole you are in. It is a truly amazing process.
Chris H

For whatever reason I had dismissed the idea of God from my life a long time ago. I absolutely didn’t want to hear about God or have anything to do with religion. My mind was totally closed. It wasn’t until my addiction to alcohol brought me to the point of desperation that I was willing to listen to the suggestion that there might be a spiritual solution to my problems. I am extremely grateful for that little gift of open mindedness that came from my desperation.
Jerry K
 
   
     
 
 
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