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| Click on chips to get one. Courtesy of Buddy T. |
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| The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous ® |
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| This family of web pages is not endorsed, sanctioned, or connected in any way with Alcoholics Anonymous® or the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous®. All views and opinions expressed are strictly those of this author. Copyright © 1987 - 2001 Bill L, All rights reserved. |
| In silent memory of those who suffer from the effects of alcoholism. |
| Click on title to view text. |
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| 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. Made 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 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 whenever possible, except when to do would 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 the knowledge of His will for us and to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. As recovering alcoholics, we had to have some guidelines to obtain sobriety, repair the damage we had caused, and maintain our recovery from the abyss of alcoholism. The first successful group of sober alcoholics was founded in Akron, Ohio during the mid 1930’s by Bill W. and Dr. Bob. In living rooms and around kitchen tables, of these first one hundred or so sober alcoholics they labored to come up with a simple but effective way to pass along how they achieved sobriety. They looked at what worked and what didn’t work. Finding common denominators, they built upon them and finally the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were born. They collaborated on the book Alcoholics Anonymous and in a very short time after the book was published, the message was being carried all over the world. For the first time since man had first crushed grapes beneath his feet, there was a lasting solution to our common dilemma. These steps are what got me sober, helped to make amends, returned me to sanity, and keep me in recovery. I have been anything but perfect in trying to achieve the goals of these principles that these steps represent, but what I have been able to do is not take a drink one day at a time for the last sixteen years. I could have never accomplished this feat without the Twelve Steps and other sober alcoholics to guide me in following and applying them in my life. Each of us must understand these steps in a way that allows us to use them in our day to day living. I found that I relied heavily upon the wisdom and experience of other sober alcoholics in the beginning of my journey into sobriety. Like any apprentice, I had to be shown how to use the tools of the trade. It took time to gain proficiency and feel comfortable with my new way of life. As I became more aware of my own understanding I was able to further explore each step and see how I could not only use it in my life, but pass along my understanding to some else who is seeking. It is in this context that I share my understanding of the twelve steps. The First step is what got me here. Steps two, three, four, and five got me sober. Steps six, seven, eight, and nine allowed me to repair the past and find sanity. Steps ten, eleven, and twelve allow my recovery to continue. I realize that continued sobriety is contingent upon my willingness to use these tools to help me through not only the rough spots in the road, but in the smooth going as well. It is when things are going their best that I must be the most aware of what is going on around me…and the most diligent in maintaining my sobriety. To the First Step |