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10 Ways for an Agnostic to Find God
It's a Miracle!
One of the main tenets of recovery is that the addict is not able to control their own drinking (or gambling, or binging/purging, or drugging, or sex addiction…), otherwise they would control it and there would be no addiction problem. Because we addicts are not able to control this aspect of our lives, we have to give control of that area to someone / thing who can; this entity is often referred to as a Higher Power, or a “power greater than ourselves”.
But what about those people who cannot find their Higher Power?
What follows are my suggestions for those who are struggling with the concept of a Higher Power.
10 Ways for an Agnostic to Find God
- Stop looking
- Listen to the silence
- Create something from nothing
- Write a mental list of at least 3 people you love, and why you love them
- Do a totally anonymous act of kindness
- Decide what you want most, then think about it until your heart hurts
- Hold hands with someone (two people works best, one on each side)
- Talk to someone with less experience than you
- Apologize out loud to someone you love
- Do something that makes you deliciously happy
When you have done all of these ten things, put a face on how you feel (note: it doesn’t have to be a person’s face).
The next time you need God, think of that face.
When you can’t see that face anymore, go back to step 1.
Why i’m Insane
No Shortage of Insanity Here
i drank for 28 years and the drinks i liked the most weren’t beer or wine or whiskey. My favorite drinks were mojitos and daiquiris and Mike’s Hard Lemonade—drinks where i couldn’t taste the booze.
i drank for 28 years and my drinking hurt my relationship with my kids, my wife, my girlfriends, my friends, my job, my health. i drank despite the financial burden, the hangovers and the smack downs and the lost phones, keys, money, stolen camera, dangerous situations, flirting with death…
Step 2 of the Alcoholic Anonymous 12 step program states:
[We] Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
When i went into the program, i thought, “OK, sure, i’m an alcoholic but insane? That seems a little harsh.”
Then i realized, i drank for almost 30 years despite the damage i was doing and despite the fact i don’t even like the taste of alcohol.
Another helping of insanity, anyone?
This Is Insane
This Is Insane, Too
Today someone told me they had a good 16 years drinking. That got me thinking.
My drinking career lasted nearly 30 years. Long enough that i shouldn’t call it a “career” but my “drinking life” because i boozed for almost as long as Jesus lived. How many of those drinking years were good ones? The first 6, max.
How crazy is that? i spent–no, strike that– i wasted 24 years for a decent 6. It’s like saying i got 6 dollars and all it cost me was 24.
Step 2 of the Alcoholic Anonymous 12 step program states:
[We] Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
i know some people in the fellowship who don’t like the word “insanity”. For me, when you throw away half your life for a few moments you don’t remember that well anyway, what else do you call it ?
