The Fear Prayer in Alcoholics Anonymous: A Complete Guide to Overcoming Fear in Recovery
Fear can be one of the most paralyzing forces in addiction recovery. For many individuals working through Alcoholics Anonymous, the journey toward sobriety involves confronting deep-seated fears that have driven destructive behaviors for years. The Fear Prayer, found in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, offers a powerful spiritual tool for transformation that has helped countless people break free from the bondage of self and fear-based living.
Understanding the Fear Prayer in AA
The Fear Prayer, which appears on page 68 of the Big Book, serves as a cornerstone practice within the AA program. This simple yet profound prayer reads:
“We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be. At once, we commence to outgrow fear.”
This prayer isn’t just words on a page. It’s an active spiritual practice designed to shift our perspective from fear-driven thinking to faith-based action. The prayer acknowledges that fear removal requires thy power while simultaneously calling us to focus on spiritual growth and the way of my usefulness to others.
The Role of Fear in Alcoholism and Addiction
Fear often lies at the heart of addictive behaviors. Many people in recovery discover that their drinking or drug use was fundamentally driven by various fears: fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of intimacy, or fear of people in general. The Big Book describes how alcoholics and addicts often use substances to escape uncomfortable emotions, with fear being one of the most common triggers.
Understanding this connection between fear and addiction is crucial for lasting recovery. When we recognize that fear has been a primary motivator in our destructive choices, we can begin to see why spiritual solutions become necessary. The Fear Prayer addresses this core issue by asking our Higher Power to remove the fear that keeps us trapped in unhealthy patterns and self-seeking motives.
Using the Fear Prayer in Step 4 Inventory Work
The Fear Prayer is mighty during Fourth Step inventory work, where individuals conduct a fearless moral inventory of themselves. This step requires us to honestly examine our character defects, resentments, and fears—a process that can feel overwhelming without spiritual support.
When working through the Fourth Step, many people use the Fear Prayer before beginning their inventory sessions. This practice helps create a spiritual foundation for the difficult emotional work ahead. The prayer serves as a reminder that we’re not facing our fears alone and that spiritual help is available throughout the process.
During inventory work, you may encounter specific fears related to relationships, financial security, health, or your ability to maintain sobriety. Each time fear arises, returning to this prayer can provide the spiritual courage needed to continue the work of recovery. By addressing each single defect of character with thy love and guidance, we begin to see personal consequences not as punishments but as opportunities for growth.
Practical Applications of the Fear Prayer
Daily Meditation and Morning Prayer Practice
Incorporating the Fear Prayer into your daily meditation routine can create a consistent foundation for spiritual growth. Many AA members begin their day with this prayer, asking their Higher Power to remove fear and guide their actions throughout the day. This morning prayer practice helps establish a spiritual mindset that can prevent fear-based decision-making and sets the tone for daily living.
When combined with other prayers from the Big Book, such as the Serenity Prayer or the Seventh Step Prayer, the Fear Prayer becomes part of a comprehensive spiritual awakening that transforms our whole attitude toward life’s challenges.
Facing Challenging Situations
Recovery often involves facing situations that previously would have triggered drinking or using. Whether it’s a difficult conversation, a job interview, or a social gathering, the Fear Prayer can provide spiritual strength in these moments. Taking a moment to pray for fear removal silently can transform your approach to challenging circumstances and help you do the right thing.
When we ask for thy power to guide us through questionable situations, we learn to trust in something greater than our unsteady willpower. This shift from self-reliance to spiritual dependence marks a fundamental change in how we approach life’s terms.
Relationship Difficulties
Fear often manifests strongly in personal relationships, whether it’s fear of abandonment, rejection, or intimacy. When relationship conflicts arise, using the Fear Prayer can help shift focus from self-centered fear to spiritual principles, such as the spirit of forgiveness and tolerance of others.
This shift often leads to more constructive communication and healthier relationships. Instead of responding from a place of fear and morbid reflection, we can approach conflicts with a tolerant view and seek corrective measures that benefit everyone involved.
Connecting the Fear Prayer to AA’s Spiritual Principles
The Fear Prayer embodies several key spiritual principles central to AA recovery:
Surrender: The prayer begins with asking our Higher Power to remove fear, acknowledging that we cannot overcome fear through willpower alone. This represents the surrender that’s essential to AA’s approach to recovery and our willingness to let go of our finite selves.
Spiritual Direction: The second part of the prayer asks for divine guidance about “what He would have us be.” This reflects AA’s emphasis on aligning our will with our Higher Power’s will, moving from self-centeredness to maximum service and seeking thy way of life.
Action and Growth: The final phrase, “At once, we commence to outgrow fear,” emphasizes that spiritual progress requires action and growth. Prayer alone isn’t enough. We must be willing to act despite fear and trust in the verdict of the ages that spiritual solutions work.
The Power of “At Once, We Commence to Outgrow Fear”
This final line of the Fear Prayer contains a powerful spiritual truth: growth begins immediately when we align ourselves spiritually. The phrase suggests that fear removal isn’t necessarily instantaneous, but our relationship with fear begins changing the moment we seek spiritual help.
“Outgrowing” fear implies a gradual process of spiritual maturation. Just as we outgrow old clothes, we can outgrow fear-based thinking through consistent spiritual practice. This perspective offers hope to those who feel overwhelmed by their fears. Change begins now, even if it takes time to manifest fully.
The concept of spiritual growth as an ongoing process reflects the AA understanding that we are on a journey of daily reflection and continuous improvement. Each day we practice the Fear Prayer, we take another step away from the way of weakness and toward the way of strength.
Different Perspectives on Higher Power in the Fear Prayer
AA’s approach to spirituality is intentionally inclusive, allowing individuals to define their Higher Power according to their personal beliefs. When using the Fear Prayer, some people pray to God as they understand God, while others might direct their prayers to the universe, nature, or the collective wisdom of their AA group.
Whether you pray to a dear God, a heavenly Father, an infinite God, or acknowledge a power greater than yourself, the key is sincerity rather than specific religious doctrine. What matters is the willingness to believe we are children of God or part of something larger than our ego and to seek spiritual help in overcoming fear.
This inclusive approach makes the Fear Prayer accessible to people from various religious and spiritual backgrounds, recognizing that the fabric of our existence is woven together by diverse spiritual experiences and paths to recovery.
Combining the Fear Prayer with Other AA Prayers
Many AA members find it helpful to use the Fear Prayer in conjunction with other spiritual practices within the program. The Serenity Prayer, Third Step Prayer, Second Step Prayer, Fifth Step Prayer, Sixth Step Prayer, Tenth Step Prayer, and First Step Prayer all complement the Fear Prayer’s focus on spiritual transformation.
Establishing a consistent prayer practice that incorporates the Fear Prayer can enhance overall spiritual well-being. Some people write these prayers in a recovery journal or meditation book, allowing them to reflect on how their relationship with fear changes over time. This daily prayer routine becomes a channel of thy peace and a source of real help in maintaining sobriety.
When we combine multiple prayers, we address different aspects of recovery. The Serenity Prayer promotes acceptance, while the Fear Prayer specifically addresses our deepest anxieties, helping us move toward better things and a more fulfilling way of living.
Overcoming Common Challenges with the Fear Prayer
When Fear Seems Too Strong
Sometimes fear feels so overwhelming that prayer seems impossible. In these moments, it’s important to remember that spiritual help is available even when faith feels weak. Starting with just a willingness to pray—even if you’re not sure you believe—can begin the process of spiritual change.
When facing a sense of hopelessness or feeling like problems today are insurmountable, remember that the prayer asks for direction to “what He would have us be.” This isn’t about becoming perfect overnight but about taking the next step toward spiritual growth and away from negative feelings.
Dealing with Skepticism
Some people struggle with the concept of prayer or spiritual practices. If you’re skeptical about the effectiveness of the Fear Prayer, consider approaching it as an experiment. Try using the prayer for a specific period and observe any changes in your relationship with fear.
Many people are surprised by the practical benefits of consistent spiritual practice. Even those who initially approach prayer with an open mind but little faith often discover that regular use of the Fear Prayer leads to measurable improvements in their mental health and overall well-being.
Building a Daily Practice with the Fear Prayer
Consistency is key to experiencing the full benefits of the Fear Prayer. Consider these practical suggestions for incorporating it into your daily routine:
Morning Practice: Start each day by asking for the removal of fear and spiritual guidance. This sets a positive spiritual tone for the day ahead and helps establish the spiritual experience that many AA members describe as essential to recovery.
Situation-Specific Use: Use the prayer whenever fear arises throughout the day. This helps develop the habit of turning to spiritual solutions rather than old coping mechanisms. Whether you’re dealing with work stress, relationship conflicts, or simply the challenges of daily living, the Fear Prayer can provide immediate spiritual support.
Evening Reflection: Include the Fear Prayer in your nightly spiritual practice, reflecting on how fear showed up during the day and asking for continued spiritual growth. This end-of-day practice helps identify patterns and celebrates progress in overcoming fear-based thinking.
Meeting Integration: Many AA members find it helpful to use the Fear Prayer before or after AA meetings, asking for guidance in sharing their experience and for openness to hear what others need to share. This practice helps combat the fear of speaking in groups or the anxiety that can come with being vulnerable in recovery.
The Fear Prayer and Step Work
While the Fear Prayer is found on page 68 of the Big Book and is often associated with Fourth Step work, it can be valuable throughout all the steps. In Step One, it helps us face the fear of admitting powerlessness. In Step Two, it addresses our fear of trusting in a Higher Power. In Step Three, it supports our decision to turn our will over to God’s care.
During Steps Eight and Nine, when we’re making amends to those we’ve harmed, the Fear Prayer can provide courage to face the people we’ve wronged and the strength to make things right despite our fears about their reactions. It helps us move beyond self-pity and toward genuine accountability.
In Step Eleven, the Fear Prayer becomes part of our ongoing conscious contact with God, helping us maintain the spiritual condition necessary for long-term sobriety. It reminds us that spiritual growth is not a destination but a lifelong journey of becoming who our Higher Power would have us be.
Living Without the Fear
The ultimate goal of the Fear Prayer isn’t just to manage fear but to transform our relationship with it entirely. When we consistently practice this prayer and work the steps of AA, we begin to experience what the Big Book refers to as a “spiritual awakening” or a “spiritual experience.
This transformation doesn’t mean we never feel afraid, but rather that fear no longer controls our decisions or limits our potential. We learn to face life on life’s terms with courage, knowing that our Higher Power will provide the strength we need for whatever challenges arise.
Many AA members report that after months or years of using the Fear Prayer, they find themselves naturally responding to fearful situations with faith rather than panic. They develop what the program calls “intuitive thought” and the ability to make decisions based on spiritual principles rather than fear-based reactions.
Conclusion: Embracing Freedom from Fear
The Fear Prayer offers a pathway to freedom that extends far beyond simply managing anxiety or worry. It represents a fundamental shift from a fear-based existence to a faith-based approach, from the bondage of self to the liberty of spiritual connection with something greater than ourselves.
Through consistent practice of this prayer, many people in recovery discover that fear no longer controls their decisions or limits their potential. They move from wildest dreams of what recovery might look like to the reality of a life lived in spiritual freedom, guided by principles rather than driven by fear.
Recovery is ultimately about transformation, becoming the person your Higher Power would have you be rather than remaining trapped by old patterns of fear and self-centeredness. The Fear Prayer provides a daily opportunity to choose spiritual growth over fear-based thinking, service over self-centeredness, and faith over fear.
As you continue your recovery journey, remember that outgrowing fear is a process that begins “at once” but unfolds over time through consistent spiritual practice. Each time you turn to the Fear Prayer, you take another step toward the spiritual freedom that lies at the heart of AA’s promise of recovery. The willingness to pray for fear removal, combined with action guided by spiritual principles, can transform not just your relationship with fear but your entire approach to living life on God’s terms rather than your own.
The Fear Prayer reminds us that we don’t have to face our fears alone. With the help of a Higher Power and the support of the AA community, we can overcome even our deepest anxieties and live the useful, purposeful lives we never thought possible in the darkest days of our addiction. At once, we commence to outgrow fear, and in doing so, we discover the person we were always meant to be.