Using the Seventh Step Prayer in Recovery

Because addiction can affect both a person’s physical and spiritual health, many people will utilize prayer and scripture in their recovery journey.

If you’ve heard of using the St. Francis of Assisi prayer in recovery, then you may have heard of the other prayers of Alcoholics Anonymous. There are different prayers assigned to each phase of the program that are meant to motivate individuals in addiction recovery. Using the Seventh Step Prayer in recovery has helped many people reach and sustain sobriety. 

At Faith in Recovery, we understand how beneficial prayer can be for someone recovering from substance abuse. A long-term dependency on drugs or alcohol can mentally and physically take over a person’s life. By building your relationship with God and strengthening your faith, you can find the motivation to move forward in life and stay clean.

What Is the Seventh Step Prayer?

The Seventh Step Prayer of AA is meant to be a humble cry for help and submission to God. This prayer highlights the importance of humility and willingness in asking God for help. The prayer goes as follows:

“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen.”¹

If you’ve received alcohol addiction treatment, you may be able to understand the emotional distress that is often involved in recovery. Prayer is a positive and healthy way to manage negative emotions through this trying time and learn how to be led by God.

Focus of the Seventh Step Prayer

The AA’s Seventh Step Prayer focuses on humility. It’s easy to be defensive or even arrogant about any shortcomings in your sobriety. However, attempting to manage the journey with this mindset can make it much more difficult. Using the Seventh Step Prayer in recovery can help you truly humble yourself before God and approach the situation with a better attitude. Keep in mind that any sort of pride or arrogance on your part can defeat the purpose of this prayer. To fully benefit from God’s help, you need to be open and willing to lean on his understanding.

At our faith-based drug and alcohol treatment center, we don’t always receive immediate answers to our prayers. As with many other things in life, spiritual healing in recovery may take time. By using prayer in your sobriety, you can learn how to rely on God’s guidance and find your source of motivation in him.

If you or someone you know needs help getting sober, call us at 888-280-4763 to find out more about our treatment options.

Sources:

1. Anon Press- Alcoholics Anonymous