One cannot "turn their life and will over to a higher power" in the absolutist sense of "letting go absolutely"; AA is fundamentally flawed. A self proclaimed "sage--not guru", a legend in Anchorage AA who was very influential in my early sobriety (in the "love bombing" and in my spiritual foundation being formed on little more than a major guilt trip when working the steps due to not being able to let go absolutely), taught something interesting in the meetings. He said if you turn your life and will over to God but then take it back again it's because you do not respect God, that if it were a gorilla you gave your life and will to you wouldn't think twice about taking it back--you'd respect the gorilla. Falsely implying one can actually do so. If one were to turn their life and will over to God absolutely they'd be perfect thenceforth and have no need of maintenance steps. Yet that is the false impression neophytes are given--that the oldtimers are actually doing that.