Step 2
“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
“We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. ‘Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?’ As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 47
Step 2 is about hope. After the deflation of Step 1, Step 2 opens a door — the possibility that something outside your own thinking can help.
What it means
“Came to believe” — this is a process, not a demand. You don’t have to believe fully on day one. Willingness to consider the possibility is enough to begin.
“We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
“A Power greater than ourselves” — entirely up to you to define. The group itself qualifies. So does nature, a principle, or simply the recognition that your own best thinking got you here.
“To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
“Restore us to sanity” — the implication is that the addiction was insane behavior. Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Step 2 says that can change.
“Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 45
Common struggles
“I don’t believe in God.” You don’t have to. Many atheists and agnostics have worked Step 2 by using the group, a principle like honesty, or simply the program itself as their Higher Power.
“We agnostics and atheists were sticking to the idea that self-sufficiency would solve our problems. When others showed us that ‘God-sufficiency’ worked with them, we began to feel like those who had insisted the Wrights would never fly.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 52
“I’ve tried to believe before and it didn’t work.” Step 2 doesn’t ask for certainty — just openness. “Came to believe” suggests it happens gradually, through experience.
“We found that God does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him. To us, the Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
“I feel too broken to be restored.” That’s exactly who this step is for.
“When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn’t. What was our choice to be?” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 53
Practical suggestions
- Talk to others in the program about what their Higher Power means to them
- Act as if — behave as though help is available, even before you feel it
- Don’t let theological debates block you; the practical question is: can something outside my own will help me?
“We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results.” — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 46
Speaker talks on Step 2
- Steps 1–3 — Don M
- Surrender and Then: Steps 1–3 — Melinda D, Adreas S
- AA Back to Basics (Part 2) — Wally P & Brenda C
Related tags
hope · spirituality · god · step-1 · step-3
All Steps
Step 1 · Step 2 · Step 3 · Step 4 · Step 5 · Step 6 · Step 7 · Step 8 · Step 9 · Step 10 · Step 11 · Step 12