I was introduced to the concept and value of having a higher power early in my recovery when I embarked on my Twelve Step journey. I didn't believe in a higher power at the time and thought I could recover without one.
But the people around me were annoyingly persistent and goaded me into trying to believe in something—anything—outside of myself. In my desperation to stop hurting and to get them to leave me alone, I started to experiment.
I was informed that my higher power could be anything, so my first one was a small, shiny black rock. Although it felt like complete hogwash, I prayed over the rock for a period of several days.
Then I lost the rock. My second higher power was the "universe," which felt more than a little helpful when I practiced "giving things over." Although my higher power remains ever-evolving, I have figured out that the people in my circle were right: believing that there is a force outside of me that I can turn to is an enormous help in my recovery.
Believing in something outside of myself can bring me back to myself.