The Acceptance Prayer: An Affirmation in Addiction Recovery

The Acceptance Prayer has been used in various groups since the early 1940s. It is most commonly known for being used at Alcoholics Anonymous and other addictive anonymous support groups, as well as being a part of 12-Step recovery. It is also a key component of the recovery process, as it allows those in recovery to be vulnerable with themselves and others. It teaches those in recovery the importance of accepting what they can and cannot control in their lives.

What is the Acceptance Prayer?

The Acceptance Prayer, otherwise known as the Serenity Prayer, was originally written by Protestant theologian Reinhold Niebuhr in the early 1930s as part of a sermon. It was then published in several Christian magazines until it was finally published in a New York newspaper in the early 1940s. Several organizations, including Alcoholics Anonymous, quickly adopted the Acceptance Prayer. The prayer is still used today and is a large part of not just Alcoholics Anonymous but many other recovery groups. It is said at all AA meetings and encourages those to recite the prayer daily, either aloud, to themselves, or even written down.

The Importance of Acceptance in Recovery

Four main ideas come from the Acceptance Prayer: serenity, courage, acceptance, and wisdom. One of the biggest takeaways about the Acceptance Prayer is that you acknowledge there are things in your life that are out of your control and accept them as they are. Accepting your actions during drug or alcohol addiction treatment and recovery is also a mental obstacle you will have to face head-on, not only what you may have done while in active addiction but also accepting the hard truth that you have an addiction. Once those two obstacles are overcome, then moving forward with your recovery process is much easier to handle, knowing that you’ve accepted yourself as you are but knowing and actively wanting to change the parts of you that are part of your addiction.

The Text of the Acceptance Prayer

Four key words are important to understand within the Acceptance Prayer: serenity, courage, acceptance, and wisdom. The first part of the Acceptance Prayer is one of the most crucial points; it is where you let yourself be vulnerable to yourself and others.

“God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

“Living one day at a time, 

Enjoying one moment at a time.

Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is,

Not as I would like it.

“Trusting that He will make al things right,

If I surrender to His will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this world

And supremely happy in the next.”

When asking for serenity, you request a higher being or even yourself for a more peaceful and calm state of mind. Accepting outside forces you don’t control will also give you that sense of calm. When going through alcohol or drug addiction treatment, no matter how long you were in active addiction, you know that it takes a certain amount of courage and strength to not only admit that you have an addiction but that you need to stop and change your way of life. Finally, asking for wisdom is about you asking for help from either a professional, a group, or even both to help guide you toward a healthier and sober life and teach you how to be stronger than your addiction.

Integrating the Acceptance Prayer into Daily Life

The Acceptance Prayer is said at every AA meeting, and members are encouraged to say it daily. This is a way to remind yourself that you are not alone in your recovery and that you are strong enough to live another day sober. Besides saying the prayer out loud, you can set aside a time every morning to repeat it in your mind. If you keep a journal, writing it down will also remind you that even if the rest of your day wasn’t great, you made time to remind yourself that you are a work in progress in your recovery. This is also when you can call on your support team, asking one of your friends or family members to say the prayer with you, in person or even on the phone, which will show them that you are actively choosing to stay sober. Asking a friend or a family member to be part of your recovery will also help mend those relationships.

The Benefits of the Acceptance Prayer in Recovery

While there are many benefits to the Acceptance Prayer during recovery, one stands out amongst the rest. The Acceptance Prayer is about accepting what you can and cannot control. While this may seem like a broad spectrum, it will help you when you think things are too hard and help you take control of the situation. What can you control in this moment? What outside elements are you not able to control? Once you can understand what you have control over in your life, your recovery and sobriety will become less of a burden but rather a new way of thinking about your day-to-day life.

Complementary Practices

While the word prayer might be off-putting for non-religious people, the Acceptance Prayer does not have to be used in a religious setting. Using it as a daily reminder of what you can and cannot control and simply leaving out any spiritual words like He, God, or Amen and replacing them with I, It, or even omitting them all altogether can give it more of a meditative affirmation. While the Acceptance Prayer is meant to be said as a whole body of work, practice saying each verse as its own affirmation — this way, you can work on each line individually rather than as a whole. For a more spiritual holistic approach, try breaking the Acceptance Prayer down into verses and coordinate different yoga poses with them.

Embracing the Power of Acceptance

Drug and alcohol addiction recovery isn’t something that will end as soon as you are done with a 12-Step program, whether you opt for an inpatient addiction treatment program or outpatient rehab program; it is a lifelong commitment. Accepting that is also part of the recovery and healing process. Resurgence Behavioral Health is there to help you with your recovery process, whether you are just starting out or have already been in recovery and are looking for more professional help, including dual diagnosis treatment for a co-occurring mental health disorder. Remember, you don’t have to be alone when you start your recovery process. If you are ready, call us at 855-458-0050 or contact us online.

David Rofofsky
After growing up in New York, David chose to get help with substance abuse in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than nine years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for eight years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. David remains passionate about the field because he understands how hard it is to pick up the phone and ask for help. However, once the call is made, someone's life can be saved.

Research | Editorial