Step 2 – Came to Believe That a Power Greater Than Ourselves Could Restore Us to Sanity
Do I continue to abuse food, or do I accept that I need a higher power?
The choice should be easy—but it isn’t.
Questions to Ask Yourself
Ask yourself the following:
- Do I believe that I am addicted to certain foods and/or behaviors and abuse them?
- Do I agree that my body has a physical reaction so strong that I cannot consistently stop abusing when I want to?
- Do I believe that my real problem is my brain’s obsessive thinking about food?
If you answered yes, the choice should be:
“I’ll do anything!”
Yet we see many people attending meetings who cannot stay clean, and newcomers who attend a few meetings and never return. Why?
The Roadblock: Misunderstanding Powerlessness
I believe the roadblock starts with the difference between the definition of powerlessness in the Big Book and what we actually believe.
Many say they are powerless in the same way a typical eater sometimes can’t say no. We even observe how a typical eater might experience a mild addictive reaction to highly palatable foods and assume we’re just like them.
But when we agree to powerlessness on that level, we minimize the obsession to a lack of self-discipline. We think we can just pick up a new diet and be fine. And when we’re not fine, we blame a lack of willpower.
The problem is: we are not like typical eaters.
That definition of powerlessness is not enough.
The Big Book’s Warning
In the Big Book, the chapter More About Alcoholism opens with a powerful truth:
Most of us have been unwilling to admit to the true nature of our addiction.
We don’t want to be different. We keep trying to prove we’re the same—chasing diets and food fads, hoping something will work.
“The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.”
Conceding Powerlessness to Our Innermost Selves
In OA, we talk about conceding our powerlessness to our innermost selves.
To me, this means accepting that my brain doesn’t work the way it should when it comes to food. It’s killing me—stealing my joy and shortening my life, inch by inch.
It’s not enough to think we’re like typical eaters who just need more willpower.
We need to accept that we are not typical.
Step 2 says “restored to sanity”—so where food is concerned, I accept that I am insane.
What Does Insanity Look Like?
In OA, you’ll often hear that insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.
Can you describe your actions that way? Check the bottom of this post if you need some ideas.
My Experience with Step 2
In January of 1999, my sponsor TS told me to write out my conception of a higher power—and to use that conception while working the rest of the steps. I didn’t have to like it. I just had to try it with an open mind.
It’s a simple concept, but not easy to implement.
It worked for me, and I’ve seen it work for others too.
I believe it can work for anyone.
What’s Next
In the next few posts, I’ll explore the roadblocks we put up around the conception of a higher power—and how we can begin to move through them.
Examples of Insanity in Action
🍽️ Food-Related Patterns
- Starting a new diet every Monday, believing this time it will fix everything—only to binge by Wednesday.
- Swearing off a trigger food, then testing yourself with “just one bite,” hoping it’ll be different this time.
- Eating in secret, thinking it will feel less shameful or more satisfying than the last time.
- Overeating to numb emotions, then feeling guilt and promising to “do better” next time—without changing the underlying pattern.
- Restricting food all day, hoping it will lead to control or weight loss.
- Using bulimic behaviors (purging, over-exercising, or laxatives) to “undo” eating episodes, expecting it to restore control or relieve shame.
- Using exercise to “make up for” overeating, expecting it to balance out the emotional toll.
🧠 Mental and Emotional Loops
- Trying to control food through willpower alone, despite repeated failures and emotional exhaustion.
- Telling yourself “I’ll be good tomorrow,” while continuing to eat compulsively today.
- Comparing yourself to others, hoping it will motivate change, but ending up in deeper shame or resentment.
- Avoiding meetings or step work, thinking you can “figure it out” on your own—even though isolation has never led to lasting recovery.
🔁 Behavioral Cycles
- Tracking calories obsessively, then abandoning the plan when it becomes overwhelming—only to restart the same cycle later.
- Buying “healthy” binge foods, believing they’re safer, but still eating them compulsively.
- Relying on self-help books or podcasts, while avoiding the uncomfortable work of the steps.
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