Newsletter

Hope and the First Step

Posted on December 17, 2025, tagged as Addiction Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous, Twelve Steps

The most important step on any journey is the first one. For our January newsletter, we logically focus on the first of the twelve-steps. It is obvious that if the first step is not taken, no others will follow. In the heroic journey of addiction recovery, ironically, the only hope is to admit defeat. This is the necessary first step on the journey. The alcoholic, the compulsive gambler, the drug addict, has become so demoralized that he or she comes to believe that all hope is lost. It is ironic that such loss of hope opens the door to an option never previously considered…. that of getting help, or being honest with someone, anyone, about the hopelessness of their situation. Or, they may have tried to seek help before but were unsuccessful in resolving their difficulties, for whatever reason. They have been challenged, have received the call to adventure many times, but may have hung on to old ideas that failed them. It is ironic that only by admitting defeat can victory be achieved. This is the first step of recovery. In the heroic journey, resistance is experienced by everyone. Once surrender occurs, though, progress can be made.

Only the suffering person can make the decision to get help. Once that decision is made, resources are found and hope steps in. Whether someone finds help in a twelve-step group, a therapist’s office, a treatment center, a religious or spiritual organization, or sometimes from a wise friend, a key shift has taken place. It is discovered that a major aspect of the problem was keeping it to oneself, believing that face must be saved, no one would understand, or that one will be judged for being weak, or for being in such a terrible situation. Taking that first step, admitting that by oneself things will never improve, ironically, is the step that opens the door to freedom. “Only you can do it, but you can’t do it alone.” This is the key to recovery of one’s life. Nobody can surrender for you. From this idea, does hope spring forth. The beginning of hope is to surrender to powerlessness…. that one cannot remedy their situation without help.

It is the necessary response to the call to adventure of the heroic journey. The situation requires a paradigm shift from “my life is a disaster, and it will never improve,” to “my life is a disaster, and I need help.” And help is available. The key is to finally get out of one’s own way and to become humble. I encourage all my readers to accept the areas of powerlessness in their lives, and to open themselves to the good orderly direction that is available if only they look for it.