A Higher Power for atheists.

Fortunately none of the steps demands we have any kind of concept of a higher power so the hoop you have to jump through is a lot wider than you might think.

I was atheist, but I wasn’t stupid. The truth is I was very desperate to beat my alcoholism.  In meetings I heard many AA’s (some with some horrifying stories) share about how they, at first, didn’t have any notion of a God or Higher Power, took the steps and found a small but growing relationship with a Power out there that was relieving their alcoholism. Until AA I was convinced there was no God and laughed at church goers. In desperation I took steps two and three with a very limited, if any, understanding of God. About the only thing I actually knew about God was that something was helping other AA's in the meetings who had done the steps. So I just went with that. As it turns out, that was all that was needed. Steps 2 and 3 don't demand we know what a Higher Power looks like, feels like or sounds like. The Big Book says a willingness to believe is enough to make a beginning. I found willingness and it was enough to make a beginning for me too.

So with that in mind I did the rest of the steps and somewhere into steps 6 and 7 I started feeling some Power helping me. I found it was a lot easier than I first thought. I "faked it before I made it" so to speak. I just went along with what I was told. What else could I do? Reject what seemed to be the only game in town at beating alcoholism? Foolish not to at least try, especially for a hopeless alcoholic like me. What happened? 27 years plus of sobriety and happiness. I came to scoff at first but then remained to pray.