Step one of the 12 step program is:

"We addmitted we were powerless over lust, and our lives had become unmanageable."

I have no problem addmitting that i am powerless. I do that every morning.

But it can become repetetive and lose its meaning (lose its power )

So i have found it helpful to unpack this word.

The word "Powerless" has several components to it. And it can also mean different things to different people.

Please contibute to this thread by sharing your understanding of the word "Powerless", based on your experience in recovery. (As opposed to using a theasaurus. )

For maximum impact please only share one per post.

I'll kick us off:

I am "allergic" to lust...

Being unable to use lust in a controlled way. As soon as we let lust into our car, he quickly takes the wheel and we are at his mercy. We are no longer in control of lust. Lust is in control of us.

i have heard people use the term "i have an unhealthy relationship with lust/food/tobacco/armadillos.."

Great thread.

When I was having trouble with the formidable word "powerless", my sponsor told me to just say that I need help.

Lust is more powerful than me.

I'm like the weaker boxer in a ring. I may be able to throw some punches, i may even win a round or two, but at some point i am gonna get knocked out.

dabbling in lust is like trying to pop pimples in the mirror, at the begining it's all fujn and great, but at the end your face looks like a bloody mess and your saying "never again"

I have a compulsion to lust.

Despite the fact that i have an allergic reaction to lust, despite all the misery lust has brought me in the past, i still have a compulsion to take in some lust.

The compulsion is, of course, part of the addiction.

Powerless to me means that my only hope is to avoid it. I can have lust, or I can have sobriety and recovery. I can't have both.

Thanks everyone. This is great stuff. Keep 'em coming...

I cannot overcome lust by using sheer will-power. Hence i'm power-less.

thanks moish for getting us on the solution not the problem

that lust is my boss makes me do crazy thing i dont want im its puppet

I resort to lust as an escape from pain, but that always ends up bringing me more pain.

So why do i continue to resort to lust?

Because each time i think that THIS time i will get what i'm looking for.

It is said that the defenition of "insanity" is to repeatedly do the same thing, but each time expecting a different result.

"I am powerless over lust" means that with regards to lust i am insane.

The admission that i'm "powerless" is an admission from deep down that i am beaten by lust.

"Beaton" doesn't mean defeated. It means that my own will cannot overcome lust.

So i stop fighting. I lay down my weapons.

It is at this point that i am ready to turn to a power greater than myself to bring me back to sanity.

This is STEP 2