The Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions, Power Posts

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The Twelve Steps

Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
Step 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Step 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Step 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Step 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Step 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Step 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible,except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Step 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.
Step 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.



The Twelve Traditions

The Traditions that follow bind us together in unity. They guide the groups in their relations with other groups, with A.A. and the outside world. They recommend group attitudes toward leadership, membership, money, property, public relations, and anonymity.

The traditions evolved from the experience of A.A. groups in trying to solve their problems of living and working together. Al-Anon adopted these group guidelines and over the years has found them sound and wise. Although they are only suggestions, Al-Anon's unity and perhaps even its survival are dependent on adherence to these principles.

Tradition 1: Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon A.A. unity.
Tradition 2: For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority, a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
Tradition 3: The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.
Tradition 4: Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
Tradition 5: Each group has but one purpose: to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
Tradition 6: An A.A. Group ought never endorse, finance or lend the A.A. name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Tradition 7: Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Tradition 8: Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever
nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Tradition 9: A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Tradition 10: Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Tradition 11: Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV and films.
Tradition 12: Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.



THE TWELVE TRADITIONS
(The Long Form)


Our A.A. experience has taught us that:

1.) Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of use will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.

2.) For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority-a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.

3.) Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation.

4.) With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the Trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.

5.) Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose-that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

6.) Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A.-and medically supervised. While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.

7.) The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own members. We think that each group should soon achieve this ideal; that any public solicitation of funds using the name of Alcoholics Anonymous is highly dangerous, whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside agencies; that acceptance of large gifts from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.

8.) Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non-professional. We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fees or hire. But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those services for which we may otherwise have to engage nonalcoholics. Such special services may be well recompensed. But our usual A.A. "12th Step" work is never to be paid for.

9.) Each A.A. group needs the least possible organization. Rotating leadership is the best. The small group may elect its Secretary, the large group its Rotating Committee, and the groups of a large Metropolitan area their Central or Intergroup Committee, which often employs a full-time Secretary. The trustees of the General Service Board are, in effect, our A.A. General Service Committee. They are the custodians of our A.A. Tradition and the receivers of voluntary A.A. contributions by which we maintain our A.A. General Service Office at New York. They are authorized by the groups to handle our over-all public relations and they guarantee the integrity of our principle newspaper, "The A.A. Grapevine." All such representatives are to be guided in the spirit of service, for true leaders in A.A. are but trusted and experienced servants of the whole. They derive no real authority from their titles; they do not govern. Universal respect is the key to their usefulness.

10.) No A.A. group or member should ever, in such a way as to implicate A.A., express any opinion on outside controversial issues-particularly those of politics, alcohol reform, or sectarian religion. The Alcoholics Anonymous groups oppose no one. Concerning such matters they can express no views whatever.

11.) Our relations with the general public should be characterized by personal anonymity. We think A.A. ought to avoid sensational advertising. Our names and pictures as A.A. members ought not be broadcast, filmed, or publicly printed. Our public relations should be guided by the principle of attraction rather than promotion. There is never need to praise ourselves. We feel it better to let our friends recommend us.

12.) And finally, we of Alcoholics Anonymous believe that the principle of Anonymity has an immense spiritual significance. It reminds us that we are to place principles before personalities; that we are actually to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of Him who presides over us all.


Copyright © The A. A. Grapevine, Inc., and Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing (now known as Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)



The Steps of Recovery

1. I Can't
2. He Can
3. I'll Let Him
4. Clean House
5. Trust God
6. Surrender
7. Attitude Change
8. Prepare To End Isolation
9. Amending Actions
10. Basis for a Daily Living
11. Peace of Mind
12. Joy of Living Through Action

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THE PRINCIPLES ARE THE STEPS

1. HONESTY
2. HOPE
3. FAITH
4. COURAGE
5. INTEGRITY
6. WILLINGNESS
7. HUMILITY
8. BROTHERLY LOVE
9. JUSTICE
10. PERSEVERANCE
11. SPIRITUAL AWARENESS
12. SERVICE

*********************************

1. Admission of powerlessness. / Honesty
2. Reliance on a Higher Power. / Hope
3. Total surrender to God. / Faith
4. Moral inventory. / Courage
5. Admission of the exact nature of our wrongs. / Integrity
6. Commitment to total change. / Willingness
7. Prayer for wholeness. / Humility
8. Total willingness to amend. / Brotherly Love
9. Making amends where possible. / Reconciliation
10. Continuing inventory. /Perseverance
11. Prayer meditation, leading to improved conscious contact with God. / Awareness of God
12. Spiritual awakening, carrying the message and practicing the principles in all our affairs. / Service.



Principles of the Twelve Traditions
1. Unity
2. Direction
3. Equality/Recovery
4. Understanding
5. Sharing
6. Simplicity
7. Independence
8. Selflessness
9. Service
10. Survival
11. Self Reliance
12. Humility



12 Steps With Promises

Twelve Steps with the Promises
"We will be amazed!"

1. We Admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable Promise: We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.

2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Promise: We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him. Promise:We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Promise: No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others..

5. Admitted to God, ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Promise:That feeling of uselessness and self- pity will disappear.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Promise: We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.. Promise: Self-seeking will slip away.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Promise: Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.

9. Made direct amends to such people whenever possible except when to do so would injure them or others. Promise: Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Promise: We will intuitively know how to handle situtions which used to baffle us.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our concise contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of his will for us and the power to carry that out. Promise: We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the results of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principals in all our affairs. Promise: Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us- sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.


12 Step History Reflections

by thingy B.

How Can History Help?

Authors seem recently to have pounced on 12 Step and A.A. history. Our
Fellowship members pour into our web sites asking for information or sending
us comments. And the search engines have really done the subject a great
service as well.

But what good can this interest in history do? Some charge we have become
obsessed with early A.A. (1935 to 1938 and the 40 pioneers). Perhaps that's
true. Some are troubled that this rebirth of history interest speaks of an
A.A. of yesteryear, not today. That is true! Still others seem dismayed that
it will slow the onrush of A.A. and other 12 Step groups toward
universalization, toward idolatry, toward treatment language, and toward
meeting emphasis rather than upon the original spiritual program of
recovery. Maybe; and, if so, good!

Therefore, if you put these and other thoughts together, you may find why
the rapidly disappearing spiritual roots of A.A. are important. The
reflections in this article, however, are just designed to remind us all of
some principal historical roots of the 12 Steps. And to show how they can
help you, as they did me, to see what the Twelve Steps are really about-or
at least were, when Bill Wilson first penned them.

Principal Sources

For sure, the Twelve Steps did not come from Akron or the early A.A. program
there as it was reported to Rockefeller by Frank Amos in 1938. Amos said
there were seven basic points, and they bear no resemblance to the Steps
Bill Wilson wrote (See thingy B., God and Alcoholism). Nor did the Twelve
Steps arise from any earlier steps of any kind at all. There were no Steps
in Akron Number One's program. There were no Steps in the Oxford Group in
1935. There were no "six steps" either in the Oxford Group or in early A.A.
as some have thought. And there never have been any steps in the Oxford
Group at all, though there are twenty-eight Oxford Group principles that
impacted on the Steps as Bill finally wrote them in a brief period of
meditation in late 1938 (See thingy B., The Oxford Group and Alcoholics
Anonymous).

Let's reiterate the Akron picture: Dr. Bob said he didn't write the Twelve
Steps or have anything to do with the writing of them. He said the basic
ideas came from the pioneers' study of the Bible. He specifically pointed to
three Bible segments he said old timers considered "absolutely essential"
(See DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers; and thingy B., The Good Book and The Big
Book; Why Early A.A. Succeeded: The Good Book in A.A. Yesterday and Today).
The three Bible segments were Jesus' sermon on the mount (Matthew, Chapters
Five to Seven), the entire Book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13.

Where, then, did the Twelve Steps really come from?

Bill Wilson said many times in many ways that nobody invented A.A. He often
added that everything in the program was borrowed-from medicine, religion,
and experience. Many years later, Bill Pittman put his finger on the button
when he wrote AA The Way It Began. Pittman concluded (and he was correct)
that the Twelve Step program came from Rev. Sam Shoemaker and from the
Oxford Group writings. Over the years, Wilson himself began conceding this
point but not detailing it. Remember, however, that there were no Steps in
Calvary Church, in the Oxford Group, or in pioneer A.A. But the major ideas
were present in 1934. If you will read my title Turning Point, you will see
that Ebby Thacher (Bill's "sponsor" passed along to Bill in much detail the
basic ideas of the Twelve Steps. They came from Ebby's Oxford Group
experience. Most don't know that, but you can see the traces in pages 12 to
15 of the Big Book.

Then there's the matter of Reverend Sam Shoemaker, rector of Calvary
Episcopal Church in New York, chief lieutenant of Oxford Group founder Dr.
Frank Buchman, and prolific Oxford Group writer. You'll find Shoemaker ideas
and language sprinkled throughout the Big Book and the Steps. You'll find
the corresponding words, language, and ideas in Shoemaker's writings. And
you'll find them in Bill's acknowledgments in letters and talks about
Shoemaker's importance. Twelve years of reading Shoemaker's books, examining
the Stepping Stones archives, seeing Shoemaker's personal journals and his
papers at the Episcopal Church Archives in Texas have made those points
quite clear to me. Strikingly also, I learned that Bill had actually asked
Shoemaker to write the Twelve Steps, and Shoemaker declined. It's all in my
title, thingy B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d
ed.

Now the last principal source is the one I keep harping on. I do so because
no one has been told much about it in A.A. or in Twelve Step groups. I
stress this source because it either covered or actually taught most of A.A.
's Oxford Group, Shoemaker, and Bible ideas in detail in the 1930's, long
before the Big Book was published. And I do so because it had a direct daily
impact on Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob, and the A.A. pioneers. That source is found
in the 64 page journal I was able to obtain from A.A. General Services in
New York, with the help of Dr. Bob's daughter Sue Smith Windows and Bill
Wilson's secretary Nell Wing. It is laid out in some detail in my book,
Anne Smith's Journal, 1933-1939. And if you want to see A.A. history in the
making, see it as it was shared with AAs and their families in the earliest
days, and see it as a bona fide explanation of A.A.'s Twelve Step ideas
before the Steps were written, you should get a copy of Anne Ripley Smith's
journal. You sure won't find it in A.A. itself!

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Some Helpful Roots

You ought to learn and know some of the following basic ideas that fed
directly into the Twelve Steps from their three major sources (Shoemaker,
Oxford Group, Anne Smith, Dr. Bob's wife):

"Powerlessness" seems to have little to do with our beginnings. It was just
an expression that fit in with Wilson's later talk about "lack of power,"
and the need to find a "power" (which Wilson said and which was most
assuredly that of the Creator Yahweh). In the beginning, the First Step idea
was just: "We admitted we were licked." And that still does it for me. Then
the pioneers often said this prayer: "O God, manage me because I can't
manage myself." It's from Anne Smith's Journal, Shoemaker's books, and the
Oxford Group's stories about "Victor."

"Came to believe" was originally phrased: "believe that God can restore you
to sanity." The "came to believe" part originated with Shoemaker's emphasis
on John 7:17-"If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,
whether it be or God, or whether I [Jesus] speak of myself."Shoemaker's
thesis: Do God's will, and then you'll know what God can do, said he. Good
examples can be found in Shoemaker's Religion That Works and Twice Born
Ministers.

The Third Step called for a "decision" to entrust your life to God's care.
It was primarily based on "Thy will be done" from the Lord's prayer (Matthew
6:10). And you can see these points in the Anne Smith, Shoemaker, and Oxford
Group writings. The addition of God "As we understood Him" simply came from
many of Shoemaker's writings about surrendering as much of yourself as you
understand to as much of God as you understand. Good examples can be found
in Children of the Second Birth by Shoemaker.

The Fourth Step originated with on the Oxford Group's Four
Absolutes-honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. Also with Matthew 7:1-5
of Jesus's sermon on the mount. You wrote the four absolutes down. You also
wrote down where your life was astray. And you looked for your part in the
wrongdoing. These ideas can clearly be seen in Anne's, Shoemaker's, and the
Oxford Group's writings.

Our Fifth Step language can be found in the same three sources. But all
state that the basic idea came from James 5:16. The pity is that, by
ignoring the Bible, our historians have missed the point that you not only
"confess" your faults one to another, but you call in the elders to pray for
the sick person, "and the Lord shall raise him up" and his sins shall be
forgiven (James 5:15). It continues that you will be healed because the
"effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." That's
something Wilson and A.A. Number Three (Bill Dotson) specifically claimed
for themselves in the early years before 1939. See Big Book, page 191.
The Sixth and Seventh Step language leaves many bewildered today. Two
paragraphs in the Big Book say very little and omit very much. They mix up
various theological ideas, and they weren't part of Akron thinking except
for acceptance Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour (something totally removed
from today's A.A.). The best understanding of these two Steps and two
paragraphs would really come to you upon learning and knowing the "5 C's"
that were mentioned by Anne, by Sam, and by the Oxford Group. These two Step
ideas really come from the Five C's. They rest primarily on "Conviction"
(Step 6) and "Conversion" (Step 7). You can see these explained in detail in
the early Oxford Group book Soul Surgery by Walter. But the roots got lost
in Bill's shuffle from his "six" word-of-mouth "steps" to the "twelve" he
wrote in late 1938 and were supposed to leave no "wiggle room" as he and
Lois put it. The problem is that they left little understanding either. Many
somehow think they lose all faults in those two Steps and then wonder why
the remainder are necessary.

The Eighth and Ninth Step ideas of restitution have their roots in four
segments of the Bible (See thingy B., The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics
Anonymous; The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous; By the Power of God;
and The Good Book and The Big Book). This concept of life-change that
involves "restoring," making "restitution," taking corrective action can be
seen most vividly in the Oxford Group book For Sinners Only by A. J.
Russell.

The Tenth Step derives from the "Continuance" principle of the Oxford Group'
s Five C's. You continue the "surrender," the "life change," the
self-examination, confession, conviction, and conversion-as well as the
restitution-you learned in and undertook in the first nine Steps. To know
the roots and the purpose is to understand better why there was a Step Ten.
And Shoemaker wrote eloquently about continued "surrender" as did Anne
Smith.

The Eleventh Step is a big deal. And the best references I can give are to
the exhaustive treatment of Quiet Time, Guidance, Bible study, Prayer,
Listening, Checking, Journaling, and use of devotionals and other literature
that I have covered in my books Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch ,
Meditation, and Early A.A.; The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous, New
Light on Alcoholism; The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous; The Good
Book and The Big Book; and By the Power of God. In fact, the richness of the
Eleventh Step roots can best be understood by having, as a reference set, my
fifteen titles which are sold as a group at a substantial discount. That
way, you have the history when you want to study it, when you want to refer
to it, and when you want to look at the tremendous amount of bibliography
that is available in those books.

Now the Twelfth Step. The language "spiritual awakening" is from the Oxford
Group (See Buchman, Remaking the World). And Shoemaker wrote a whole chapter
in one of his books, explaining what a "spiritual awakening" was. He further
elaborated at an A.A. Convention when he said it had four elements: (prayer,
conversion, fellowship, and witness); but you sure won't find them in A.A.
literature today. The topic "spiritual experience" is likewise from the
Oxford Group. The problem is that neither Professor William James, nor Dr.
Carl Jung, nor even Bill Wilson were originally talking about either a
spiritual awakening or a spiritual experience as the Oxford Group defined
them. They were talking about "religious" experiences and "conversion." But
the distaste for such ideas in the Oxford Group, the Roman Catholic Church,
the universalists, the revisionists, and the non-Christians has slowly but
surely buried the conversion which was a sine qua non of early A.A. What
was the message that 12 Steppers were to carry? You won't find Bill
describing it. But the real message was carried by Ebby to Bill and found
its way into the Big Book in terms of "God has done for me what I could not
do for myself." To that was added the Oxford Group/Shoemaker idea of
"passing it on" and "giving it away to keep it"-both of which derived from
Biblical witnessing. And what were the principles 12 Steppers were to
practice? That was left undiscussed by Wilson. Once he and A.A. leadership
buried the Four Absolutes, they also quickly buried the simplest, earliest,
clearest statements of the principles. Those principles-honesty, purity,
unselfishness, and love-were the "yardsticks," as Dr. Bob called them. They
were the "standards" as many Oxford Group people called them. And, since
they were based on the teachings of Jesus, they can also be said to
incorporate all the principles of the Ten Commandments, the two "Great
Commandments" of Jesus, other commandments in the Bible, the Sermon on the
Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13. And you will find that many literature items of
early A.A. central office so stated.

END

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THE STEPS OF A.A. - AN INTERPRETATION

by Clarence S., January 1972
Started 1st group in Cleveland, OH, May 18, 1939

Alcoholics Anonymous is not a "booze cure" or a psychological means of controlling one's excessive or obsessive drinking. A.A. is a program, a life-changing program, and, in a great part, we owe our inception as a fellowship to our origin in the Oxford Group movement during the mid 1930's.

The Oxford Group was designed as a Life Changing program - and we in A.A. have for our own uses and affiliation, modified their program, chiefly by designing our twelve step program in a manner that the alcoholic who feels he needs and wants a change from what they are experiencing, can comfortably accept and apply the program and thereby change their life.

To do so, requires certain attitudes, willingness, and acts on our parts.

We have simplified the program, in the feeling that any alcoholic with an alcohol problem can live a life free of the obsession to drink.

Our program of the twelve steps is really accepted in four distinct phases, as follows:

1) Need (admission)

2) Surrender (submission)

3) Restitution

4) Construction and Maintenance

Phase #1 - Is covered in Step 1 - "We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable" - this step points out phase 1 - or our own need - there is a need for a change!

Phase #2 - Includes the 2nd through the 7th steps which constitutes the phase of submission.

Step#2 - "We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

Since we could not manage our own lives, of ourselves, we found ourselves to be powerless over alcohol; we were encouraged by the power of example of someone or some others to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. In this step, we have the "proof of the pudding" before we are asked to eat it!! Others tell us of their experiences and share their deepest feelings with us and those members are alcoholics such as we are, and there they stand, sober, clean-eyed, useful, confident and with a certain radiance we envy and really want for ourselves. So, we WANT to believe it!

Of course, some persons could conceivably be a bit more startled at first by the reference to "being restored to sanity," but most of us finally conclude that in hearing of some of the experiences our new friends had during their drinking careers were anything but the actions of a rational person, and when we reflect upon our own actions and deeds prior to our own introduction to A.A., it is not difficult to recognize that we too, were pretty well out in left field also! In fact, most of us are happy in the feeling that we were not really responsible for many of our past unpleasant and embarrassing situations and frankly, this step does much to relieve our feelings of guilt and self-condemnation.

Step #3 - "We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God..."

Now here is the step which separates the men from the boys (or the women from the girls) - this is the step which tells the story as to whether we are going to be in A.A., or around A.A. Yes, we can attend meetings, visit the clubs, attend the social functions, but, unless we really take step #3, we are continuing to make up our own program. Since our entire program is based upon dependence upon God and our lives are to be directed by Him!

So, here we are, making a decision which in itself is quite an accomplishment for the alcoholic, since they are one of the most indecisive creatures in society, due to their incapacity to manage their own life due to their obsession - But - to make a decision to turn our life and our will over to the care of God - this creature in the far blue yonder, whom we have little acquaintance with and probably much fear of, this is really asking very, very much of an alcoholic!

Rest assured, that if they are not ready, if they have not reached their "bottom" or extremity, and if they are not really "hurting more than they ever have," they are not about to take step #3. So - they go pretty much on their own as usual, except that they do have the advantage of better company than they had been associating with and this, in time, could really foul up any type of drinking life they may have in the future!

Another important feature enters here, in that they know now that there is a way out of their dilemma and this is bound to "work" on them as time goes on, if they have any pride at all in themselves! At this point - their biggest problem is to overcome FEAR and "Let go and let God."

Step #4 - "Made a searching and fearless Moral inventory of ourselves."

This is a step which should be taken with the assistance of a sponsor, or counselor who is well experienced in this changed life - due to the capacity of the alcoholic to find justification for about anything - a sponsor can bring up through sharing - many various moral weaknesses which need attention in their life and can smooth the way for the alcoholic to examine them in a frank fashion. The next step suggests that someone is helping with step #4 - since it reads as follows:

Step #5 - "Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact NATURE of our wrongs."

We put ourselves on record and leave no options or reservations! Note that it states, NATURE of our wrongs - not the wrongs themselves! We are not required to narrate details of our many indiscretions. Many of them we don't even remember, nor are conscious of. This is not a laundry for dirty linen; this is recognition of character defects, which need elimination or adjustments!

Step #6 - "Were entirely ready to have God remove ALL these defects of character."

This step allows for no reservations. The alcoholic, being an extremist must go the whole route. We are not a bit ready, or about to be ready, but entirely ready to have God, not us, remove ALL these defects of character, (the interesting ones as well as the more d**nable ones!).

Step #7 - "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

We tried to make no deal, as we did in the past when situations would overwhelm us. It was common to say - "Dear God, get me out of this mess and I will be a good boy (or girl), I will not do thus and such, etc., etc., etc., NONE OF THAT! We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. The Good Book assures us that anything we ask believing, we shall receive!

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Step #8 - Begins our phase #3 - that of restitution. So now we have
admission in Step #1, Submission, Steps #2 through #7. Now for the Restitution in Steps #8 and #9.

Step #8 - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Steps 8 and 9 should also be taken with the assistance of a knowledgeable sponsor or a counselor, since in our present state of impatience with almost complete lack of judgment, we could conceivably cause much harm in executing this phase of the program.

Most of us probably have persons on that list whom we just do not want to have any contact with. The step states plainly - ALL persons we had harmed! Obviously some of these persons are not available, having passed on, or disappeared etc., so we must ask God to handle those details.

But step #9 states - "Made direct amends Whenever Possible except when to do so would injure them or others."

We cannot and should not try to clear our slate or conscience at the expense of any others. This phase is very important and it eliminates the possibility of carrying over some details into our new life that could consciously come back to haunt or harm us in our new life. We are going into a new life, and we should "Let the dead bury the dead."

Now that we have taken 9 steps!!! We have concluded 3 phases of our program. These 9 steps we have accomplished - so - FORGET THEM!!! They have required action and you have taken the action, so there is no need of repeating it! There are only two occasions when one must refer back to the first nine steps, #1 - is in the event that the person "resigns and resumes," obviously they must start all over again! The other occasion when we may refer to the first nine steps is when we are trying to explain them to a new member and helping them with them.

So, now we have our last phase, that of Construction - Steps 10 - 11 - and 12. With these steps, we construct our life. These are our living steps. We no longer must be concerned with 12 steps - ONLY 3 STEPS!! How simple, how wonderful!!

Step #10 - "Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it."

This step has absolutely no connection with step #4. Note, in step #4, it calls for a searching and fearless Moral inventory. This step calls for a personal inventory. This step is our daily check on ourselves. This is our check on the small and large and otherwise details of my life TODAY. My simple way of handling step 10 may help someone, since I find that it is most adequate for me, and I prefer to keep things simple and uncomplicated.

At night, after I am in bed, my day is over; I find this is one of my most important prayer times. I think about my day, what have I done, whom I have been with, what has transpired. Sometimes I find that I am not proud of something I have done today, and I owe someone an apology, I do not permit these things to go unattended. I have found that it is not the so-called "big" things which seriously affect the alcoholic in their new life, but the "little" things. They can go on and on and add up and become a real burden and eventually have drastic effects upon our new life. This is the reason for step 10, keep things "cleaned up," keep the walk swept! Maintain a good healthy attitude.

Step #11 - "Sought through Prayer and Meditation, to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out."

This is a great step, first, because it brings us into a prayer life. Back in step #3, we made a decision to turn our life and will over to the care of God. In step #11, we receive our orders!! Let us break this step down and discover how it is both simple and profound. We are seeking something, seeking to improve our conscious contact with God. What does that mean? To me it means He is not in the far blue yonder, beyond reach, but right here, close where I can talk to Him and listen to Him (the Bible states that He is closer than hands and feet, and that is most close!). So, I am seeking to make this contact through Prayer and Meditation. What does this mean? To me, Prayer is talking to God, and Meditation is listening to Him! The good Lord endowed us with one mouth and two ears, which should suggest something to us!! We are enjoined - "Be Still" - and that is how we should be while listening! The answers surely will come if we but listen. Now, the step tells us what to pray for.

"Only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." Since we submitted ourselves and turned our will and life over to the care of God in phase #2 - now we ask for His orders and strength to carry them out. We are promised that He will never expect anything from us that He won't give us the power to execute.

Now then, do you see any place in the step thus far to suggest we pray for sobriety? Of course not, and it is absolutely unnecessary - you HAVE sobriety. Thank Him for it - but it is pointless to pray for what you already have. The 11th step states very plainly how to pray and what to pray for!!

Step #12 - We have experienced 11 steps and something has happened to us. In fact, something happened at the end of step 9!

Step 12 states very plainly - "Having had a Spiritual Experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other Alcoholics and to practice these principles in ALL of our affairs."

What is a Spiritual Experience? That is the changed life we have been referring to. That is the change that comes to a person who has turned their will over to the care of God and continues to try and improve themselves, mentally, morally and spiritually. It states that we try to carry this message (not the alcoholic) to alcoholics. We practice these principles of love and service in all our affairs. Not just in A.A. meetings and associations, at home, at business, everywhere! What a blessing this fellowship is. What a great opportunity to love and be loved. Why cheat yourself? We have the prescription, the means of getting well, staying well, growing and best of all, SERVING. Come on in, the water's fine!! Friends are wonderful, the fellowship is distinct and GOD IS GREAT!!

[This was transcribed from Clarence's handwritten copy.]

[aasavedme]

Very interesting, informative and helpful. Thanks for taking the time to power post!

[dd33]

I am having some difficulty with step 4...Any suggestions? I have started a tentative outline with key words for my moral inventory, but I guess I don't really know where to go from there. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[MajestyJo]

This is the third time I have tried to post. I would suggest that you use the format from AA's Big Book or a 4th Step Guide. The one that I found worked the best for me was Al-Anon's Blueprint to Progress. It was endorsed by a lady in AA with 28 years sober.

I wrote and filled 6 journals my first year, it helped to get order to the chaos of my feelings and helped me to identify them.

A sponsor is good to enlighten your path and guide you to the truth and delete the false sense of guilt, shame, and fear. If you have a lot of fear, go back to Step 3.

A man who got sober (60+ years of sobriety now), became a priest. He said, "Remember this is a one day at a time program. You don't have to write down all the times you stole, lied, and cheated, just acknowledge that you are a lier, cheat, and a thief.

We are not our disease. Our disease takes over, and for me, I lost all my principles, values, and faith and became a fearful being, instead of a spiritual being, trying to live an earthly walk.

For me, once I put the pen to paper, the words came. My sponsor told me after I wrote my first inventory, to go back and find the positive, this is all negative.

Fearless means having faith. Take your God with you. Remember you don't have to do a Step Five right away. That helps take away some of the fear. The priest shared that there should be no time between a Step 3 and a Step 4, but you are allowed time, until you feel safe with sharing with someone. It doesn't have to be your sponsor or a person in the program, it can be a counsellor or a minister or priest. I found it good to share my inventory with more than one person. Talked to the people who could identify with me and understood the disease of alcohol and addiction.

God Bless.