DDA Members Share their Experience on Step 1:
“We admitted that we were powerless over our Dual Diagnosis - that our lives had become unmanageable.”
“For me, Step One is the basis for everything. Without having a solid Step One, I am destined to drink & use again.
Step One tells me that I have an illness and that once I start drinking or using, I cannot stop. That is the powerlessness of Step One. Even if I stop drinking/using for a few days, weeks or months, I have a mind that has been so badly warped by my addiction that I can’t avoid picking up my substance of choice again without help.
Alcohol made my mental health medications less effective. A lot of the substances I’ve used exacerbated the symptoms of my mental health. And yet, I still couldn’t stop drinking or taking drugs because I had lost the power to choose. I had lost control over how much and when I took them.
What Step One also gave me is a starting point for a new way of life; a life that is more rewarding, contented, & enjoyable than I’ve ever experienced before.
The great thing about the Programme is that it’s a “We” programme and I don’t have to do recovery or this Step, on my own.”