The Power of Genuine Surrender in Addiction Recovery
By Dennis Bishop
The first step in the Twelve Steps of AA states: “We admitted we were powerless over our alcoholism/addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.”
Genuine surrender is accepting, admitting, and facing the reality of the extent of your addiction and the damage caused by it to yourself and others. It involves 3 vital aspects:
1) Acknowledging addiction.
You cannot explore recovery if you do not first recognize you are an addict. Genuine surrender is breaking denial and converging all efforts toward recovery and change.
2) Admitting powerlessness.
This is literally letting go of control. It is realizing you cannot control your addiction. For many, this revelation comes only at rock bottom.
3) Seeking and accepting help.
Surrender leads us to seek guidance from others or a Higher Power. Help is available in abundance, but many addicts either never seek it or reject it when offered.
An old adage says, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” A willing addict is receptive and committed to recovery. The Twelve Steps themselves confirm this truth: none of them can be achieved without genuine surrender.
Denial and the Stages of Change
Prochaska and DiClemente’s Transtheoretical Model of Change highlights five stages:
- Pre-contemplation
- Contemplation
- Preparation
- Action
- Maintenance
Denial dominates the pre-contemplation stage, where individuals do not yet see their addiction as a problem. Like the servant in the parable who denied wrongdoing and was sentenced to the noose, those trapped in denial risk destruction—financial, social, physical, psychological, and spiritual.
Professionals often use techniques such as motivational interviewing, peer feedback in groups, and gentle psychoeducation to help individuals move from denial to contemplation. Family and friends, too, play a role when they compassionately but firmly help the addict reflect on the consequences of their addictive behaviour.
The Power of Genuine Surrender
What does genuine surrender do? There are 5 noticeable impacts it has.
a) Creates space for growth. Surrender allows us to begin working on our flaws and shortcomings—the true starting line of recovery.
b) Disqualifies denial. Surrender peels away the mask of the false self. One realizes how unfair they have been to themselves and others, and this remorse fuels progress.
c) Births solutions. Surrender shifts one from a problem-focused to a solution-focused mindset. They ask themselves: How can I change? Who can guide me? Where can I find the right environment for recovery?
d) Births humility. It takes humility to admit our vices and ask for help. Humility silences resistance, opens the ears and allows learning from others and from our Higher Power.
e) Promotes spiritual advancement. As Step Two reminds us, “Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” In surrender, we allow that Power to do for us what we could not do ourselves.
Moving Forward and Helping Others
The journey does not end with action. In the maintenance stage, surrender is renewed daily. Addicts sustain progress by practicing honesty, seeking support, and helping others break their own denial—often by sharing their story. This creates a cycle of hope and healing.
Conclusion
Genuine surrender opens the mind, heart, and spirit to the fragrance of healing and recovery. It dismantles denial, fuels humility, and makes space for solutions. It is the key that moves us from resistance to transformation and from despair to sobriety. In surrender, life normalizes into a goodness and satisfaction that cannot be found elsewhere.
About the Author:
Dennis Bishop
Dennis Bishop is a Sobriety and Addiction Recovery Support Coach, Mental Health Advocate, Accountant, Enterpreneur, Business Development Executive and now a regular contributor to Mwangaza Wa Sunday’s articles series on addiction and mental health—designed to inform, educate, and inspire change.
With professional experience in business and finance, and personal experience as a recovering addict, Dennis bridges two worlds—helping people reclaim their lives while building strong foundations for the future.
Contact Dennis: +254 743 375 865
“Sobriety gave me back my life, and the best way I can honour that gift is by helping others find theirs.”
Dennis Bishop
