How to Live the Serenity Prayer - Step By Step (Ep. 189)How to Live the Serenity Prayer - Step By Step (Ep. 189)
Genuine Life Recovery with Jodie Stevens
Jodie Stevens breaks down the Serenity Prayer into practical steps for people in addiction and codependency recovery, focusing on acceptance, courage and real-life action. She shares examples, a simple writing exercise, and reflections on fear, resentment and asking for what you need.
6:13•27 Apr 2026
Living the Serenity Prayer: Acceptance, Courage and Real Change
Episode Overview
- Shift focus from trying to control other people and situations to changing your own actions and attitudes.
- Use acceptance to find peace, especially with people and circumstances that feel unacceptable.
- Recognise that resentment and unforgiveness are dangerous for addicts and can block recovery.
- Write down your fears, separate what you cannot control from what you can, and list specific actions you could take.
- Pray for courage and wisdom to face frightening but possible steps, such as honest conversations and asking for what you need.
“You spend so much time trying to control the things that you can't control that you miss the opportunity to control the things that you can.”
How do people cope with the challenges of staying sober when life feels totally out of control? This short solo episode of Genuine Life Recovery with Jodie Stevens takes a practical look at the Serenity Prayer and breaks it down into real-life steps for anyone dealing with addiction, codependency, or long-standing fear.
Jodie shares a moment in the shower where she sensed God saying, **"You spend so much time trying to control the things that you can't control that you miss the opportunity to control the things that you can."** From there, she walks through how addicts and codependents often obsess over other people's reactions, instead of facing the scary but possible changes in their own lives.
Using examples like worrying whether “Bob” likes you, dreading conflict, or fearing a hard conversation with a boss or parent, she connects these everyday spirals to the Serenity Prayer: accepting what can’t be changed, finding courage to change what can, and asking for wisdom to tell the difference. She also draws from the Big Book, highlighting how acceptance can bring peace, and how resentment and unforgiveness can silently wreck recovery.
You’ll hear a simple but stretching exercise: write down all your fears, mark what you truly cannot control, and then list what you actually can do – even if it terrifies you. Jodie shares how writing down “call my mum and tell her I’m an alcoholic” felt impossible, yet became doable over time. This episode is especially suited to people in recovery who feel powerless, stuck in obsessive thinking, or scared to ask for what they need.
With a mix of gentle challenge, spiritual reflection, and very practical steps, it’s a reminder that acceptance and courage can move recovery forward one honest action at a time. So what might land on your list of things you really can change today?
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