I do support treatment programs and 12-step models. They offer a vital approach for so many to reconnect with and nourish the aforementioned dimensions of a person's life. However, in my opinion, personal will and intention do play a part. Maybe the acceptance of powerlessness, a critical cornerstone of 12-step recovery, is paradoxically the discovery of personal empowerment. These experiences would seem contradictory, but may be what is happening, nonetheless.
Personal empowerment is a more genuine experience than the exercise of mere willpower.
It is as much a recognition and acceptance of personal limitations as capability in oneself. This is what it means to be personally empowered and to live healthily and courageously. It seem to me that, whatever tools a person uses to deal with an addiction, such an experience is ultimately needed to move forward and to pursue healthy living. Please upgrade your browser.