Hope

Hope is the spiritual principle of Step 2- We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Admitting powerlessness in step 1 was a crushing blow to the ego. Ego deflation is necessary to allow a higher power to come in and work for us. Now we can come to believe in a God of our own conception, no matter how limited. We may only have the faith of a mustard seed, but this seed is planted and as we work the steps it will sprout and grow into a magnificent structure that we can rely on. To me, sanity means that divine intervention from God will keep me from doing the most insane thing I can do, pick up a drink or a drug after a period of abstinence.