Pronunciation: POW-er
Simple meaning
Power means ability, strength, force, authority, or capacity to do something.
Today, people may use power to mean control, influence, physical strength, electricity, political authority, or personal ability. In Big Book study, the word is important because it often points to the difference between human self-reliance and help beyond self.
Older meaning
Older dictionary definitions often describe power as ability, capacity, strength, force, authority, or the means to act.
That older meaning matters because power is not only about control over others. It can also mean the ability to do what could not be done before.
Why this word matters
In Big Book reading, “power” is one of the central words connected with the problem and the solution.
A person may have intelligence, willpower, good intentions, fear of consequences, love for family, and strong reasons to stop drinking. Yet those things may not be enough to solve the problem being described.
That is why power matters.
The word asks a serious question:
Does the person have enough power within themselves to solve the problem?
If not, where can sufficient power be found?
In this context, power is not merely an idea. It is connected with experience, spiritual change, action, dependence, and a new basis for living.
Common misunderstanding
A common misunderstanding is to think power only means control.
In Big Book study, power may point in the opposite direction. It may involve admitting lack of power, becoming willing to receive help, and learning to live by something greater than self.
Another misunderstanding is to think powerlessness means uselessness. It does not. A person may lack power over alcohol while still having value, intelligence, responsibility, and usefulness in many other areas.
A useful question is:
Am I relying only on my own power, or am I becoming willing to seek the kind of help this problem requires?
Helpful meeting handle
A common recovery phrase is “power greater than ourselves.”
That phrase can be a useful handle because it points away from isolated self-reliance and toward help beyond the individual.
But the phrase can also be misunderstood. It does not need to be reduced to an argument, slogan, or vague comfort. In Big Book study, power is connected with actual change: staying sober, becoming honest, making amends, serving others, and living differently.
Study note
This website works best with a copy of the Big Book in your hand. Look for the word “power” in the first 164 pages and nearby discussion. Notice whether the surrounding passage is talking about lack of power, spiritual help, God, self-reliance, willingness, action, or change.
Related words
powerless
God
solution
spiritual
willingness