Manipulation by addicts is all too common to ignore. When in active addiction, drug addicts use manipulation to try to get more drugs and to control people around them. We believe manipulation is a means to an end, an end in which we have all control. Control and power can be as addictive as the drugs, and it can be just as dangerous as well. Once addicts get clean and sober, often times we are still stuck with many character defects including our ability to manipulate. Contrary action is a spiritual principle practiced in AA that helps to combat our selfishness. The basic idea behind contrary action is this: During active addiction, we learn destructive behaviors and habits that stick with us throughout our using, and when we get clean, we continue to use these character defects out of routine. Usually our first thought or idea is impulsive and wrong. We must learn to fight against what we think is best for ourselves, and often do the opposite. If we remain conscience of the fact that we are trying something different and against our nature, and pay attention to how things end up, we are often surprised by the results. We can begin to see that character defects such as manipulation we’re only hurting us all along. Our will took us to very dark places where many of us lost close to everything and we were beaten down and broken. The only answer is to begin living in God’s will and to do that we must rid ourselves of our character defects. We can start by simply pausing before we react impulsively. Manipulation by addicts may seem like a shortcut to immediate gratification, but in the long run, it will only create a barrier between us and our ability to live in God’s will.