Briarwood Detox Center — Step 2 worksheet
Step 2 worksheet — finding something to hold on to
Step 2 asks whether you can come to believe that some power outside your own willpower could help you get well. What that power is, is left entirely to you.
This is the step people quit over, usually because they think it demands a religion they do not have. It does not. It asks whether you are willing to accept help from something that is not your own willpower — because your own willpower is what Step 1 just examined.
Where I actually stand
What did I believe as a child, and what happened to it?
What do I believe right now, honestly, on a normal day?
What about this step makes me want to walk out of the room?
Have I been hurt by religion? What happened?
Evidence that help from outside works
You do not have to start from faith. You can start from things you have watched happen.
Who do I know who got better? What did they lean on?
When has someone helped me do something I could not do alone?
What have I seen in a meeting or a group that I cannot easily explain?
What I could be willing to try
Step 2 says came to believe — over time, not today. Willingness is the whole requirement.
If I set the word God aside entirely, what could a power greater than me be? The group? Honesty itself? Something I have no name for?
What is the smallest amount of open-mindedness I could honestly commit to this week?
What would I have to give up believing about myself to accept help?
Before you put this away
A worksheet is a way to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. It is not the step. Step 2 is worked with a sponsor, a counselor, or someone else who has done it — they will see things in these pages that you cannot see yourself.
Who am I going to show this to, and when?
What did I leave off these pages because I did not want to write it down?
This worksheet is provided free by Briarwood Detox Center for personal reflection. It is not medical advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. Work it with a sponsor or counselor. If you need help right now, call (866) 710-7710. If you have thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.