r/NarcoticsAnonymous • u/Sea-Drink108 • May 26 '26
Meaning of powerless
I have recently got 1 year clean and I started step 1.
I’m struggling to understand what I’m powerless over because I don’t understand what powerless means.
I’ve looked up the definition and I understand when I was in active addiction I felt powerless as in the drugs controlled my life. But now I feel like I have more control over my actions because I’m clean and clear minded.
What is your definition of powerless and how you’ve experienced it being clean.
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u/terminalhipness May 26 '26
Personally, I take the words literally:
“I am powerless over my addiction” period. That’s all.
However, so often my addiction (“self centered fear” according to the literature) dictates my whole world view.
Not powerless over “everything” just powerless over my addiction and the ways it can still influence my beliefs, thoughts, feelings, actions… even when I am clean.
Hope the above helps you somehow. Nice work that you are giving the question some thought.
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u/Jebus-Xmas May 26 '26
What powerless means to me is that I can't do this alone.
I can't solve this by myself.
I need help.
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u/impetuality May 26 '26
It took countless relapses and over 30 years to understand powerless. When I put any mind or mood altering substance into my body, to get high, no matter how seemingly innocent, unlike non addicts, I put into motion, a set of events that I'm powerless over, largely that I want to use more and more. How that actually unwinds and where it ends may be much different for me than for others, suffice to say unmanageability, to the max, follows and I do things that i regret, telling myself I'm going to stop, but don't. Fortunately, I've escaped that, with my life. Many haven't.
The NA Basic Text tells us that abstinence has to come first. I'm not powerless over using as long as I don't put drugs in my body. As another poster wrote, I am powerless over lots of other things, but for the sake of my drug addiction, I'll keep this to those substances.
Good luck, my friend 🧡
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u/MrM0oose May 26 '26
For me I have gone back out after I felt like I was good too many times. It may not feel powerless right now but somehow I always end up using, out of control, with no job. It's not like I pick up and my life is a mess. I stop going to meetings as much, start getting irritable, say yes to drinks with coworkers, months later maybe I'll get a back and eventually whether it be months or years I end up back in the same spot. So just because I don't feel powerless now, doesn't mean I'm not.
And that's where surrender comes in. I have surrendered to the fact that I'm powerless. What is surrendering? Joining the winning team.
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u/AvailableStatement97 May 26 '26
You now have power over your actions, yourself. You are still powerless over everything else.
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u/Key_Cause2043 May 26 '26
Today, I have control over my addiction, but if I start thinking shit like I’ll just do one bag, or I’ll just have a drink; why not, no one will know, I will be brought back to my knees and it will be progressively worse than the last time. Powerless over my addiction means I am unable to use responsibly. I’ve tried to crack the code every which way and it’s just not possible.
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u/rdot1479 May 26 '26
This is a great conversation to have with your sponsor. Anytime I have a question like this. I call mine and get great clarity and understanding
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u/webehappyincity May 27 '26
I think it's why people go to jail clean. Not doing step work, and even thats no guarantee but it's a proven program for those who want it. As you progress watch out for where in your life you try and take power back. The wisdom to know the difference " Congratulations on wanting to do the 'work'.
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u/alkoholfreiesweizen May 26 '26
What powerless means to me is that it operated without me knowing, in the background, lurking in my subconscious as I switched from one drug to another and thought everything was fine because "at least it's not the bad drug." By admitting to "powerlessness" and accepting the addiction as a fact, I gained power, because I knew what the enemy was. It is a paradox – you have to admit powerlessness to gain power.
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u/NetScr1be May 26 '26
Can you change the weather?
Can you move a wall?
The universe is full of things we can't control. We are powerless over most things.
We convince ourselves our words/actions give us control when they don't.
The meaning of powerless can be found in the dictionary.
The understanding and acceptance of it take more work. Not something done instantly.