The 12 Steps

Twelve Steps
Early in our association with A.A. we heard about the “Twelve Steps” of recovery from alcoholism.  We learned that these Steps represented an attempt by the first members to record their own progress from uncontrolled drinking to sobriety.  We discovered that the key factor in this progress seemed to be humility, coupled with reliance upon a Power greater than ourselves.  While some members prefer to call this Power “God,” we were told that this was purely a matter of personal interpretation; we could conceive of the Power in any terms we thought fit.  Since alcohol had obviously been a power greater than ourselves during our drinking days, we had to admit that perhaps we could not run the whole show ourselves and that it made sense to turn elsewhere for help.  As we have grown in A.A., our concept of a greater Power has usually become more mature.  But it has always been our personal concept; no one has forced it upon us.

Finally, we noted from the Twelfth Step and from the experience of older members, that work with other alcoholics who turned to A.A. for help was an effective way of strengthening our own sobriety.  Whenever possible, we tried to do our share, always keeping in mind that the other person was the only one who could determine whether or not he or she was an alcoholic.

We were also guided by the experience of the many A.A.s who have given new meaning to three time-worn sayings or slogans.  “First Things First” is one of the slogans, reminding us that, much as we would like to try, we cannot do everything at once, that we have to remember the prior importance of sobriety in any attempt to rebuild our lives.  “Easy Dos It” is another old slogan with new meaning for alcoholics who are frequently guilty of working too feverishly at whatever they are doing.  Experience shows that alcoholics should, and can, learn to pace themselves.  “Live and Let Live” is the third slogan, a recurring suggestion that alcoholics, no matter how many years of sobriety they have, cannot afford to let themselves become intolerant of others.

A.A. books and pamphlets are also helpful.  Soon after we came into A.A., most of us had an opportunity to read Alcoholics Anonymous, A.A.’s book of experience in which early members first recorded their stories and the principles which they believed had helped them to recover.  Many members, sober for years, continue to refer to this and to four other books for insight and inspiration.  (They are all listed at the end of this pamphlet.)  A.A. also publishes an international monthly magazine called the A.A. Grapevine for newcomers and old-timers alike.

Because A.A. is essentially a way of life, a few of us have ever been able to describe with complete accuracy just how the various elements in the recovery program contribute to our present sobriety.  We do not all interpret or live the A.A. program in exactly the same way.  We can all testify, however, that A.A. works for us when many other ventures into sobriety have failed.  Many members who have been sober for years say that they simply accepted the program “on faith” and do not yet fully understand how A.A. works for them.  Meanwhile, they keep trying to pass their faith along to others who still understand all too well the disastrous way in which alcohol works against the alcoholic.

THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

1.    We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable.
2.    Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.    Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4.    Made a Searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5.    Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.    Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7.    Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8.    Made a list of all persons we had harmed. And became willing to make amends to them all.
9.    Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so could injure them or others.
10.    Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11.    Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12.    Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.