Step One: Acceptance

Many of us come to Al-Anon feeling completely defeated by the disease of alcoholism in a relative or friend. Out of deep desperation, we try everything we can think of to put an end to the frustration, chaos, and suffering in our homes. Yet, as long as we persist in the delusion that we can control or cure this illness, we remain trapped in an exhausting fight that we cannot win. Step One offers us a doorway out of this destructive cycle by inviting us to admit that we are powerless over alcohol—and that our lives have become unmanageable.