This is Step 3 in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step recovery fellowships. It basically means that the afflicted has taken into careful consideration the likelihood that someone, preferably a "Higher Power," could more safely or competently run his/her own life and that the afflicted is willing to give this entity that control.

Some mistakenly believe that taking Step 3 means that the aflicted becomes some sort of religious zealot, or other similar whacked-out notions. Others believe that this is an "action" step. Nope, not quite...

To use a classic 12-step analogy: Imagine that there are four frogs sitting on a log. One frog makes a decision to jump into the pond. How many frogs are still on the log? All four. Why? Because the one frog did nothing more than to make a decision; no other action had yet been taken.

The NRT got to this one before me.