For most people coming into recovery, prayer is alien. We have a very empty life and few of us have faith in a power for good by the end of our drinking or using. For those of us who do have a faith who have somehow clung on to it, we are far removed from any beneficial effects from it. I was brought up to believe in a Christian God, I remember lying in my bed at night and experiencing my darkest moments towards the end of my drinking. Occasionally I would say the Lord’s prayer but my recollection is that I felt little spiritual presence in my life. Other addicts I know turned to prayer for the first time when in a desperate situation – Lord, if you are there, get me out of this mess / police cell etc. God, please help me.
Prayer is Worthwhile
It is a big leap to get from that desperate praying and expecting and getting no result or communication back to believing that prayer is a worthwhile discipline in recovery that will help us stay well and happy. Are advised to pray every morning for another clean and sober day, for guidance and courage and for understanding God’s will and to act by it. To start with, if all this seems alien, we only need to keep making the effort. As we become more familiar and comfortable with prayer, so it will become a source of strength and comfort. We will then find ourselves praying willingly and as often as we need to.
A prayer that we come across often in recovery is the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
This is a very powerful prayer. If we take each part separately – the first is about accepting what cannot be changed. We are powerless over other people, places and things and we can only change ourselves and how we deal with things. I analysed this a bit further and tried to recognise what could not be changed. As opposed to what I did not want to change. The two are different.
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes
That leads to the second part of the serenity prayer. We need to identify what can and should be changed and have the courage to do so. If we do not try – which might involve taking a risk – then we have no hope. We need to take action – ‘nothing changes if nothing changes’.
If we pray, we might have the discernment to tell the difference between what can be changed and what cannot. Sometimes this is easy to see and sometimes more difficult. Either way, prayer can be a significant positive in recovery from addiction.
The Haynes Clinic is an alcohol and drug rehab clinic which offers detox and counselling for people with addictions.
Call 01462 851414 for free and confidential advice.
