When facing real scary health issues and just overall life's hardships, I can proactively incorporate the Steps into it.
I will use an incident where I had a health scare with a lump in my throat:
Step 1
I am powerless over the lump and what the diagnosis will be. This causes me unmanageability. I can list all of those things that this particular incident is causing to help me get a clearer picture so that I am not lumping it in with other things. I need to separate my issues so that they don't cause me to be more overwhelmed than I already am. When people get overwhelmed they get stuck and break down or quit. When I have a solid Step 1 Establish-surrendered and accepted, in other words, I am not fighting or resisting what is, I can move into Step 2
Step 2
I know God can restore me to sanity here-just like he has done a myriad of other things-including alcohol.
Because we know at this point in our walk that God is not Santa Claus (hopefully) and that God is being sought here to restore me wholeness/sanity in areas I feel insane. Fear makes people scared, scared people are not whole and they sometimes themselves become scary-so in order to keep me from scaring others or making rash decisions that could make it worse; I need to believe that the Solution, God, will work for me here, just like in all the other areas I have sought restoration for.
Step 3
I am making a conscious decision to turn the outcome of the diagnosis and how to proceed over to God's Care.
Thy will not mine be done....over and over and over.....This helped me to proceed with the biopsy. I hate that stuff, so I just was like..."I will do this because it's something I had been putting off but needed to face-thy will, not mine be done"
I trusted that no matter what the outcome, good or bad, I would be ok. That doesn't mean it won't suck if it's bad-it means God will give me the courage to walk through it and restore me to sanity regarding the action or the next right thing. We can use the other Steps if we aren't feeling clear enough to receive answers or are still blocked and haven't yet experienced faith or knowing.
When I am in great fear I make fear based decisions-and/or accept terms and conditions that are not reversible. I can't make an informed choice from that state.
The foundational Steps allow me to breathe in God and breath out self so that I may calm my central nervous system and gain composure. Rational responses, asking questions, doing research, searching other options, acceptance, grace, dignity-as opposed to:
"OMG IM GONNA DIE IF I DON"T DO THIS NOW" and then proceed with procedures or courses of action that were presented as my only option. That is a lie fostered through fear and many years of fight or flight.
There are always other options. It's my job to get grounded enough to be open to reviving those other options. In fact it's my responsibility as a maturing sober woman to not freak out and accept the first thing that comes along or is presented as my only recourse.
God how would you have me see this??