In addiction recovery, the concept of a “Higher Power” plays a central role in many treatment programs, especially those inspired by the 12-step model. It represents a source of strength, guidance, and hope beyond oneself.
A Higher Power doesn’t have to be religious. It can be anything a person believes in that helps them find meaning and support. Acknowledging a Higher Power encourages humility and acceptance, helping individuals let go of control over their addiction. This spiritual connection fosters resilience and motivation, empowering people to maintain sobriety and rebuild their lives.
The Definition of a Higher Power
A Higher Power is any force greater than oneself that provides strength, guidance, and hope. It can be spiritual, religious, or secular (such as nature, the universe, love, or community) helping individuals in recovery find support, surrender control, and foster personal growth beyond their own willpower.
Step Two of Alcoholics Anonymous
Step Two of the Alcoholics Anonymous follows the admission of powerlessness over addiction by introducing the idea that a power greater than oneself can restore sanity. This step encourages individuals to open their minds to the possibility of spiritual help, regardless of religious belief. It’s about finding hope and beginning to trust in something beyond personal control. Whether that power is God, the universe, or the AA community, Step Two lays the foundation for spirituality and ongoing recovery.
Greater Force to Which A Person Can Surrender
A greater force to which you can surrender in recovery represents something beyond your personal will, offering strength, guidance, and hope. This force doesn’t have to be religious. It can be the universe, the bonds of a family, or love itself. Surrendering to this power allows individuals to release control, reduce isolation, and begin healing. Trusting in a greater force can help build resilience, encourages personal growth, and provides a foundation for lasting recovery and inner peace.
Why is Having a High Power Important?
Having a Higher Power is important in recovery because it provides a sense of hope, support, and guidance beyond one’s own will. Addiction often leaves individuals feeling isolated and powerless, and believing in something greater can offer comfort and direction. This belief helps people surrender control, which is essential for healing and breaking the cycle of addiction.
Looking Outside Oneself
Believing in a Higher Power can help a person look outside themselves by encouraging a shift from total self-reliance to trust in something greater than themselves. In addiction recovery, this perspective helps to foster humility, openness, and a willingness to accept help. This outward focus supports healing and long-term growth by reducing isolation and promoting connection with others and the world around them.
Benefits of looking outside oneself include:
- Encouragement to have humility and acceptance
- Reduced isolation and loneliness
- Promotion of spiritual and emotional growth
- Strengthened connections with others
- Support beyond personal willpower available
Takes the Focus off Total Self-reliance
Embracing a Higher Power takes the focus off total self-reliance, which is often a barrier to healing in addiction recovery. Relying solely on oneself can lead to frustration, burnout, and feelings of failure. By trusting in something greater, individuals learn to let go of unrealistic expectations and accept help and guidance. This shift can encourage vulnerability, build resilience, and open the door to community support and personal transformation — key elements in maintaining long-term sobriety and emotional well-being.
Benefits of surrendering to less self-reliance include:
- Reduced pressure to “fix” everything alone
- Encouragement to ask for and accept help
- Emotional resilience
- Community and connection
- Support for sustained recovery through shared strength
Starts the Process of Spiritual Connection
Starting to think about the spiritual aspects of sobriety can open the door to deeper self-connection and deeper healing. It encourages individuals to reflect on their personal values, purpose, and inner peace beyond just staying sober. This process can help rebuild a person’s sense of identity, fosters a sense of mindfulness, and promotes emotional clarity. Exploring spirituality, whether through meditation, nature, creativity, or spiritual faith, can ground individuals in recovery and give new meaning to life without substances.
Benefits of developing personal connection with oneself include:
- Self-reflection and growth
- Help defining purpose and values
- Fostered inner peace and clarity
- Building of emotional and spiritual resilience
- Strengthened commitment to sobriety long-term
Begins the Process of Seeing Your Actions "Outside" of Yourself
Beginning to see one’s actions from outside one’s own perspective is a key part of recovery and personal growth. It encourages self-awareness and accountability by helping the person observe how their behaviors affect others and your environment. This shift from internal justification to external reflection promotes empathy, responsibility, and change. It’s an important step toward recognizing harmful patterns without judgment, then moving on to taking conscious steps toward healthier choices and relationships.
Benefits of taking this outside view include:
- Increased self-awareness and accountability
- Encouraged development empathy and understanding
- Help in breaking harmful behavioral patterns
- Support for healthier decision-making
- Strengthened relationships and personal growth
- Reduced denial
- Promotion of honest reflection
Does a Higher Power Have to be God?
A higher power doesn’t necessarily have to be God. Some can adopt the universe as a higher power, nature, or collective consciousness. Others name their higher power as spiritual force, destiny, or the moral principles guiding their life. The concept varies across cultures and philosophies, showing that transcendence can exist beyond traditional religious frameworks. It’s deeply personal.
An Inherently Flexible Idea
In addiction recovery, especially within 12-step programs, the term “Higher Power” is intentionally broad to accommodate diverse beliefs and backgrounds. It allows individuals to define this power in a way that feels personal and meaningful. The key is that it represents something greater than oneself that can offer guidance, hope, and strength during the recovery journey.
This flexibility makes the concept accessible to people with various spiritual, religious, or secular beliefs. It helps to encourage openness, humility, and the willingness to accept help beyond self-reliance. The ideal is to foster a deeper sense of connection and support essential for lasting recovery.
A More Powerful Force Than Yourself
A Higher Power in recovery simply needs to be a force more powerful than yourself that provides strength and empowerment. This power can take many forms, but the most important aspect is that it offers something beyond personal will. It helps individuals feel supported and hopeful. Recognizing a force greater than oneself can encourage humility and increase willingness to let go of control, which is essential in overcoming addiction.
This concept allows each person to find a source of empowerment that resonates uniquely with them. By connecting with this force, individuals gain the courage and resilience needed to face challenges and continue on their path to lasting recovery.
A Higher Power is Personal
Examples of a Higher Power in recovery can be diverse and deeply personal. For some, love serves as a powerful force that provides strength and motivation to heal. Others may find comfort in the vastness of the universe, feeling connected to something greater and beyond their individual struggles.
Reality itself, with its constant changes and challenges, can serve as a higher power that teaches resilience and acceptance. Many also turn to the collective wisdom or goodness of people around them, such as the support found in recovery communities or the kindness of others.
These examples show that a Higher Power doesn’t need to be a traditional religious concept. It simply needs to be a source of empowerment, guidance, and hope that helps individuals navigate their own personal journey.
Recover From Addiction at First Steps Recovery
First Steps Recovery offers a comprehensive approach to addiction recovery, providing a safe and supportive environment for individuals seeking lasting change. Our facility is accredited and licensed, ensuring high-quality care through evidence-based and holistic treatment options. With specialized treatment programs like medical detox, residential rehab, and outpatient services, we cater to diverse needs, helping individuals regain control of their lives.
We provide specialized care for combat veterans and the LGBTQIA+ community, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility in addiction treatment. With a dedicated team and a range of treatment options, First Steps Recovery is committed to guiding individuals on their journey to sobriety and long-term wellness.
We offer 24/7 support and can assist with admissions, insurance verification, and treatment options. Contact us to learn more.
Dr. Curl is the Medical Director and primary on-site provider for First Steps Recovery. He is a Board Certified Internist and Addiction Medicine Specialist having attended the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and completing his residency at Mount Auburn Hospital with Harvard Medical School. Following several years work as an internist and physiatrist (physical medicine and rehabilitation). Dr. Curl completed the Addiction Medicine Fellowship at Howard University in Washington DC and participated as a RAM Scholar (Research in Addiction Medicine). While part of the fellowship, Dr. Curl pursued research investigating the barriers to expanding and improving medication for opioid use disorder. Following his fellowship, Dr. Curl spearheaded the Opiate Use Disorder outpatient clinic and worked in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences within the Howard University Hospital. In 2023, Dr. Curl completed his Board Certification in Addiction Medicine.
