Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 

Step 2 was my step of HOPE. It ws the step that got me to thinking that MAYBE i should give "GOD" another chance.  

For me God or any kind of spirituality was put on a back burner for many years. Maybe this was the missing element I needed in my life??? For me it was. The act of praying and meditating having quiet time for my own thoughts, my own feelings , a time to sort things out. A time to connect with my Higher power.

There is a phrase " I came, I came to, I came to believe." For me  Step 2 is the "I came to believe". I came to the rooms, I began to understand, I began to believe , have hope and faith. I was beginning to be able to seperate from the chaos and unmanageablity of the world around me. I was beginning to realize that there was a Power greater than myself because everything that I tried wasn't working. So there had to be another force, spirit, HP who was in control of things. 

It is the movement of self -will to God"s will, as to who is in control. There are many forces on this world which we cannot see or touch. Yet we know they are there. For example Electricity. We walk into a room and flip the switch on and the lights go on. We don't think about it or how it works... it just does.

So we believe in this Higher Power, but what is he going to do for me? He will restore us to sanity.

Think of all the crazy things that you have done while living with an alcholic. Your behavior your actions. Have they been in the sane realm? I know mine weren't. Constantly yelling, screaming and fighting. Carrying guilt, resentments and fear along with them. Restoring us to sanity gives us the clarity to see past the chaos into what is reality.

Others have constantly bailed the alcoholics out of jail only to head straight for the nearest bar.

Or they have poured every bottle they could find down the drain. Only to find it replaced the next day.

Or they have called the "A's" boss saying he is ill when in reality he is plastered to the wall.

These are all examples of our insanity and how we perpetuate the disease and cover up for the "A".

The sanity is that we begin to realize what we are doing and not covering up any more, not taking on the responsibility of another. The sanity is that we are thinking for ourselves and our own welfare. We are taking care of us.

There is an excellent tape on this site by Arleen S. from Donaldson, Tenn. She tells about her dealings with the Steps better than I could ever express. I highly recommend it. This is the link:-

http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Addictions/alcoholismrecovery/arleens.htm

Love & God Bless

lildee