Prayer can make a significant difference in the journey to recovery.
It doesn’t matter whether you have faith in the size of a mustard seed or the kind that can move mountains. Turning to God for solace while recovering from addiction can provide the much-needed motivation to fight drug cues.
Prayer makes it easy to soldier on against all odds. It lets you count on a higher power to come through for you when the urge to relapse threatens to overwhelm you tanzohub.
So, it’s unsurprising that the world’s largest fellowship of former alcohol addicts – Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) – has prayer as one of its core tenets.
This article shall examine how AA prayers can accelerate addiction recovery, highlighting a few prayers you can make as you journey to full sobriety.
Prayer and AA
Prayer is one of the approaches used by Alcoholics Anonymous to foster sobriety. The organization is best known for the Serenity Prayer, in which recovering addicts can adapt to their lifestyles regardless of how long they’ve been sober. The prayer goes, “God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, courage to change things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Most AA programs celebrate sobriety milestones every month. Participants receive medallions from the first thirty days they’ve been alcohol-free. The medals then keep coming for every month of sobriety up to the first year, after which former addicts receive badges annually.
So, besides the Serenity Prayer, there’s a special AA prayer for each of the 12 steps.
The 7th step prayer is one of AA’s most profound invocations since it comes midway between the 12-step program. This prayer helps recovering addicts celebrate their previous milestones while urging them along the path to full sobriety.
The Significance of AA Prayers
Prayer is the most effective means by which we can invoke our higher power (God, Allah, Buddha, or whomever you conceive him to be).
Anyone who has been hooked on alcohol understands that the journey to full recovery is fraught with untold pitfalls. Invoking a higher power can give you the motivation you need to forge ahead.
Prayer can also bolster your resolve to stay sober.
It’s worth noting that spirituality encouraged complete abstinence from alcohol and other stimulants. So, the more you pray, the easier it is to align with your sobriety goals.
Alcoholics Anonymous also relies on prayer to reinforce its core values, including honesty, patience, humility, hope, and self-discipline. These very principles form the bedrock of most religions.
AA’s decision to incorporate prayer into the recovery process was likely inspired by scientific research. Multiple studies have shown that prayer can accelerate recovery from chronic ailments and disorders, including alcoholism. Many findings specifically credit prayer for the efficacy of AA’s 12-step programs.
Lastly, every moment spent conversing with a higher power tunes your mind away from sabotaging thoughts, such as fear and self-doubt. That can go a long way in avoiding relapse.
The Core Objectives of AA’s 12 Prayers
Each prayer in Alcoholics Anonymous’ 12-step program serves a specific purpose, as shown below.
1st Step – Admitting you were helpless over alcohol.
2nd Step – Believing that a higher power could restore your sanity.
3rd Step – Acknowledging your decision to turn your will and life unto God’s care.
4th Step – Confirming that you took a bold step.
5th Step – Admitting to God, yourself, and everyone else that you were miserable while in alcoholism.
6th Step – Ask God to remove your defects and blemishes.
7th Step – Asking God to remove your shortcomings.
8th Step – Promising to make amends for everyone you hurt.
9th Step – Making direct amends to people you harmed.
10th Step – Continuing to admit you were wrong.
11th Step – Seeking conscious touch with God.
12th Step – Undertaking to practice and spread the message of sobriety.
Prayer Examples for Selected AA Steps
Step One Prayer
Dear God,
I express my heartfelt gratitude for impressing me to make one of the biggest health decisions in my life.
I may not know what lies on the road ahead, but you do.
Therefore, keep me out of harm’s way as I embark on a journey to full recovery.
Amen!
Step Three Prayer
Dear God,
I couldn’t have made it this far without your unfailing grace.
It’s my prayer that you shall wrap your tender hands around me as I press on.
Renew my strength each day as I encounter new challenges on this arduous match to sobriety.
Amen!
Step Seven Prayer
Dear God,
I thank you once again for enabling me to attain a new milestone.
I acknowledge that I’m a blunt instrument that requires constant sharpening.
Remove my shortcomings that I may develop a character similar to yours.
Take my entire life and mold it as you desire.
Amen!
Step Eleven Prayer
Dear God,
It’s nearly a year since I firmly resolved to quit alcohol.
As I grow stronger each day, I pray that you shall use me as an instrument of peace.
Cleanse me of all pride and arrogance.
That even as I boldly match into a brighter future, I may bring joy and hope to those still enchained in the bondage of alcoholism.
Amen!
Final Word
The significance of prayer in addiction recovery cannot be overstated. Prayer reminds us to trust in God for deliverance when the road ahead looks bleak and hopeless.
However, note that every prayer must be backed by concrete steps in the direction. As the Holy Scripture asserts, “faith without action is dead.”
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