America is in vital need of a new recovery group—Victims Anonymous. There are millions of Americans dependent on government support who are trapped, addicted to government entitlements, and subsidies. This support keeps them from taking full responsibility for their own lives and taking advantage of the opportunities America provides for those willing to work hard to achieve their dreams of success.
As with any recovery group, there are steps needed in order for recovery to be realized. Recovery is a slow process of personal empowerment that combines the power of admission, recognition, and peer group support with the reliance on a higher power outside ourselves.
The Seven Steps of Victims Anonymous
1. We admitted we are trapped in an addiction to government support and have been unwilling to take responsibility for our own lives.
The victim must accept and understand that his/her condition and all of its issues are a direct result of his/her actions to remain addicted and our failure to seek self-sufficiency. The victim must reach a position of total acceptance of responsibility and reject any ideation, statements, or actions designed to blame others for their situation. Taking responsibility for one’s current need for help and the commitment to change are basic requirements for any progress toward recovery.
2. We came to believe that a commitment to God, a power greater than ourselves, can be a source of support, strength, and motivation for change.
The next important step begins with a belief that God values each and every person. We are created in His image with unique skills and potential available to fulfill our purpose and achieve our most heartfelt dreams. God has the capacity to help, support, and enable us to overcome our personal shortcomings and restore us to be the productive, responsible, and happy individuals that we were meant to be. We believe that through personal faith in God that we are capable of turning our lives around through His infinite grace, guidance, and generosity.
3. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
This step requires an assessment and acceptance of our addiction, its manifestations, and effects. We must pursue this truthfully, honestly, and without any spiritual or moral cover-ups. This step helps us recognize the damage and issues that our victimhood is causing in our lives from all perspectives—self, family, society, faith, and government.
4. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to others we value and trust the exact nature of our wrongs and responsibilities and ask for help from God and others in reforming our defects of character.
Privately held self-assessments and goals are easy to cheat on. Honesty and an unflinching desire and commitment to change are required to move from being a victim to a proud survivor. Telling others helps to make the problem real and sets the stage for meaningful and significant improvement with the help of hard work and the support of God and others.
5. We made a list of all we had blamed and taken advantage of and initiated efforts to make amends to them all.
We are encouraged to apologize publicly to those we have blamed for our personal failure, and where possible, attempt to repair the damage done to those relationships. A commitment to pay back as much of the money taken as possible is encouraged through responsible work, paying taxes, and making donations to non-profit organizations helping others break the hold of government dependence. Perfection is impossible, but we must be willing to make any amends that may be required, even if, at times, it implies some form of personal disgrace.
6. We seek restoration of a right relationship with God as we understand Him through prayer, meditation, and worship to improve our relationship with God, discover knowledge of His will for us, and secure the power to carry that out.
Prayer, meditation, and worship in a faith community of choice help connect us with the support of the divine power that is greater than our individual self. Being connected to a shared faith community provides the continual support and encouragement needed to take responsibility for our lives, our purpose, and our dreams for personal fulfillment.
7. Having had a spiritual awakening, a public confession, and a commitment to action steps designed to break our debilitating dependence, we promise to carry this message to other victim addicts and to vote for politicians who will reject government entitlements that encourage addiction, ensure our personal freedoms, and allow us to keep more of the fruits of our labor we have earned.
We reach out to others who are suffering from victimhood as we once were. Through our interactions and our intervention, we see them grow and become free of their addiction. We work diligently to elect politicians who will encourage and reward personal initiative, support free-enterprise economic policies, minimize regulations and taxes, and minimize entitlements that foster dependence and victimhood.
Unfortunately, Victims Anonymous does not currently exist. If you were to adopt these steps anyway, you would know they have made a difference when you could say: “I am not a victim. I am a survivor of past government dependence. For six months, I have had a job, and I just earned my first raise. In doing so, I’m making less because my government support has been cut again. But that will not stop me. I’m not going back. With the support of God and others, I’m taking responsibility for my life. I’ve stopped blaming anyone else and continue to work hard to achieve the dreams I now have. I’m proud of my progress, but I will not give up until I am in control of my life again! I thank God and all of you for your help in making this happen!”
May it be so.
Terry Paulson is Ph.D. psychologist, author, and professional speaker on Earned Optimism, Making Change Work, Claiming Your American Dream, and Becoming a Conservative Values Voter. Contact him to speak before your group at terry@terrypaulson.com.
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