The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- 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.
- 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.[1]
We are all in a continuous flux, always learning and constantly changing. Step ten tells us to do an ongoing self-assessment and own up to our offenses, “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” It is not natural to catch those wrong doings immediately. We must practice and be intentional. The twelve steps are a lifetime practice of learning and relearning through our mistakes. David the psalmist prayed for an undivided heart, one that would transform his heartened heart. “Teach me your ways, O LORD, that I might live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I might honor you” (Psalm 86:11).
Recovery and twelve-step work is demanding and exhausting. Meetings are there for teaching, community, and accountability. Finding the right sponsor can be a challenge; he must himself have addressed and worked through step two: “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” He must also have a good record of staying sober and not be timid about calling you out to the twelve steps of recovery. He must understand how denial, deflection, manipulation, and lying are destructive to your sobriety. You want a sponsor who keeps your feet to the fire while encouraging your faith in God. It’s a high calling, and yet the men I know that are sponsors gladly take this role on and give back what was given to them. Step twelve is an example of men and women who have experienced success and want to help others, “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.”
Your faith will give you the strength to unwrap the unwanted behaviors and tentacles that have choked their way around your heart and mind. You are no longer held captive to the lies and lures of what addiction promises to deliver. My question to you is, “Have you surrendered to God as your higher power; if not, what are the obstacles and challenges that get in the way?” God is the final authority on our lives and where we spend eternity. He is the one who knows our hearts and wants salvation for us more than anyone else. If you believe in the word of God, you can experience and know that He gives understanding, spiritual wisdom, and the ability to trust and know Him better. If this is true of you, you’re on the right track! If you’re unsure, I assure you that God won’t let you down. He delivers what He promises. If there’s ever a time in your life when you need Him, it’s now. He wants to rescue his children from the harm and evil that the world can inflict on us. He wants to give you a peace that surpasses all understanding.
[1]Alcoholics Anonymous, The Twelve Steps, www.aa.org/the-twelve-steps, accessed May 22, 2024