Guidance and Support for Step Two in AA from Purpose Healing
Sometimes, we know we are adrift in life but don’t know how to pull ourselves back to safety from near disaster. For anyone struggling with alcohol addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous is the lifeline we can use to pull ourselves back to calmer waters. But what is Step 2?
Direct from the AA Big Book Step 2 advises: “We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” Our Step 2 AA worksheet can guide you as you start this step.
Purpose Healing Center knows the recovery process does not end when a client leaves our rehab center. Our therapists understand that returning to their normal lives leaves clients vulnerable to many things that can derail their chance at a better life. To help provide more support, we recommend that clients begin community-based meetings like AA or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
We invite you to read more to learn about how AA is so helpful and, more specifically, how to be successful while working Step 2.
The Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Recovery Process
In 1935, Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson started Alcoholics Anonymous to support each other as they recovered from alcohol use disorders. Since its inception, AA has helped millions around the world. Operating on the core value of mutual support, members get to share their lived experiences and learn from each other.
The 12 steps are the keys to success for those who rely on this program. It gives AA members a clear roadmap to taking on and beating alcohol addiction.
The step admits one’s powerlessness over alcohol and emphasizes the need for a Higher Power as one turns their life around and makes things right. You and your family deserve this restoration of trust and peace in life.
We recommend you start with our Step 1 AA worksheet if you would like even more complete support during the crucial days of early recovery.
Additionally, we offer a Step Three AA worksheet to help you work with your sponsor and successfully complete what can be a confusing part of working the program when initially getting sober.
And we are now excited to announce our AA Step 4 worksheet is also available for you to begin working with your sponsor.
As you progress to the later Steps, our resources are able to support you as well. Our recently released guides to the later steps includes our AA Step 8 worksheet and offers a valuable source of insights and reflections.
The 12 Steps of AA
According to AA’s publications, “Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,” and the “Big Book,” these are the steps:
- “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
These steps build upon each other, giving each person a clear sense of how to progress as they continue to work on recovery.
Came to Believe That a Power Greater Than Ourselves Could Restore Us to Sanity
The second step of the Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step process asks each individual to have the open-mindedness to admit that only a Higher Power greater than themselves can help get clean and sober.
This Higher Power can be God or any deity; for some, faith may encompass the broader spiritual idea of the Universe. For agnostics, the Higher Power may be interpreted as the strength of the AA group itself.
The Higher Power offers all AA members in Scottsdale and Phoenix (or anywhere else on the planet for that matter) the willingness required as they work through all twelve steps and recover from addictions.
Admitting to a Higher Power Help Rose After a Relapse
‘Rose,’ a kind and sensitive young adult, left Purpose Healing Center following the completion of alcohol rehab and returned to her home in northern Arizona. Her aftercare plan included attending Alcoholics Anonymous and other strategies to aid her as she was in her first days of sobriety.
She went to Alcoholics Anonymous at first and even completed Step One. When it was time to progress to step 2, Rose had little understanding of what to do. She’d never been to a church other than an occasional funeral or wedding. Her family was not spiritual and had no particular faith beliefs.
Unwilling to hand over her sanity and sobriety to some other-world being, Rose stopped attending her local meetings. Her sponsor texted and called her, but Rose blocked her and didn’t respond.
Several weeks later, thinking that she was doing well without other support, Rose had a few moments of weakness. Accepting one drink from a friend didn’t seem so bad. But it didn’t stop there. That single drink turned into several drinks and, eventually, a whole weekend of binge drinking and wild behavior.
Getting Support at the Behest of Loved Ones
Rose’s siblings and sober friends were alarmed. Their hope was that she’d stay sober forever after completing the recovery process. Her childhood friend, Aisha, stepped in, inviting Rose to attend her mosque to experience her faith. Rose agreed and was amazed when she felt a growing sense of faith wash over her. The people at the mosque were kind, and all offered to pray for her.
The experience at the mosque didn’t quite convince Rose to change her mind about following any particular spiritual practice. But it did give her an idea of how a Higher Power could help her. She called her sponsor and apologized. After returning to AA, she realized how important it is to feel included.
Rose finished her AA steps and is still free of alcohol addiction today. She now works as a recovery advocate at a non-profit and shares her lived experiences with lawmakers in Arizona, influencing funding for much-needed recovery programming in the Grand Canyon State.
Free Download Worksheets and Activities for AA Step 2
Below are some worksheets that can help you grow as you continue to work on staying sober and rebuilding your life after addiction.
It’s worth mentioning that these resources are in addition to our Step One resources – you can also visit our Step 1 AA Worksheet for guidance as well.
Downloadable Worksheets: Positive Affirmations Sheet for Step 2
Saying positive affirmations in front of a mirror or writing the statements in your journal can be powerful. As you study the affirming sentences, begin to internalize the words you’re reading and apply them to your life.
You might also consider jotting the words in your journal. The real beauty of affirmations is that you can customize them to suit your life.
Downloadable Worksheets: Journal Prompts for Step 2
Journaling is an incredibly therapeutic way to work through the key concept of Step 2 and shift focus to accepting a Higher Power. On each page, you can work through a problem and later view it and reflect on how you feel.
Trust the process that is Step 2. Indeed, it can guide you to a place of accepting yourself. Above are our downloadable worksheets with prompts, please feel free to view and print them to use them any time the need arises!
Purpose Gives You New Hope in Recovery
If you want to recover from alcohol addiction but need professional help, please connect with us at Purpose Healing Center. Our sole goal is to help you take power away from alcohol and bring peace and well-being back to your life.
Whether you need information on our programs or you’re ready to start, it’s important that you call us right away. Don’t worry about judgment – we have heard it all before. Our team will not pass judgment on anyone. Let’s take that stride toward recovery together today.
480-579-3319