The Steps are meant to be addressed in sequential order, but there’s no one “right” way to approach them. Sometimes people need a break between Steps, sometimes people need to spend longer on one Step than another, some people never stop working the 12 Steps because they become part of life. The purpose is to recover from compulsive, out-of-control behaviors and restore manageability and order to your life. It’s a way of seeing that your behavior is only a symptom, a sort of “check engine” light to investigate what’s really going on under the hood. The focus on the overall health of the group ahead of any individual member or chapter reinforces the idea that addiction, while incredibly lonely, can be overcome with the help and support of others.
Both Wilson and Smith found that The Oxford Group’s treatment of sin as a “disease” resonated in discussions of their struggles with alcohol. The Twelve Principles of AA drew heavily from these spiritual elements. By 1939, with the publication of The Big Book, Wilson and Smith had revised their principles, expanding them to reflect their work and its progress. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. One of the simplest ways to start is by adopting a morning routine that includes reading a passage from AA literature.
For Treatment Providers
It’s an opportunity to release the weight of guilt and shame and begin the process of forgiving yourself. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. The journey through the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions of AA often begins with attending a meeting. There are meetings designed specifically for new members, offering an introduction to AA and its Steps and Traditions.
This step also helps to teach us that we are not more important than the next person, but that doesn’t mean that we aren’t deserving of health and happiness. During this step, it’s important to look to your higher power to help free you from your past. Once willing to remove feelings of shame and guilt, we can begin to let go of the things in the past that we wish to hide.
- If you’re a treatment provider and have a question, please reach out and someone from our Customer Success team will be in touch with you shortly.
- You can help people who are affected by alcoholism by making a donation to the Cleveland District Office.
- This stage challenges us to get completely honest with ourselves, God, and another person about the patterns of our past.
- It’s about finding a source of support and direction to help navigate the recovery challenges.
- Willingness is the openness to change and try new approaches.
These 12 principles aren’t just for people who struggle with alcohol addiction. Anyone suffering from addiction can use these 12 principles to seek recovery. 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. Within AA, acceptance involves understanding that you can’t control every aspect of your life—especially your addiction—and that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but a liberating step forward. By accepting your situation, you relieve yourself of a heavy burden and allow yourself to be vulnerable, a vital part of recovery. 🌟 It’s remarkable how facing your challenges head-on can bring about a sense of freedom.
Step 8: Making a List of Amends
Courage is essential for facing fears, confronting past behaviors, and taking steps toward recovery. It involves recognizing the reality of addiction and the need for change. Let’s explore the twelve principles and how each helps us build habits that lead to a fulfilling life. AA wants you to share your understanding of recovery with other people who are struggling.
The 12 Steps of AA serve as a powerful framework for anyone seeking lasting recovery. Each step is more than just a guideline; they are calls to action that encourage deep personal transformation. 🌟 Have you started aa steps principles to see how these steps can impact your journey towards recovery and self-discovery? Digital tools now offer features like real-time progress tracking and interactive goal-setting.
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.
This step allows us to face the truth about our past while preparing to mend it. Step 7 brings us to a place of genuine humility where we stop trying to fix ourselves and instead ask for God’s help. After becoming entirely ready to let go of our defects of character in Step 6, this step calls us to take direct action by asking God to remove the patterns that no longer serve us. It’s a moment of surrender where we trust that real change happens not by self-will but through spiritual growth. The Big Book provides a column-based structure for writing an effective inventory, focusing on who we’ve harmed, what was affected, and our part in it.
- While the 12 Steps of AA are designed for individuals working toward sobriety, the 12 Traditions of AA address Alcoholics Anonymous and its members as an entire body.
- Much of our inability to recover is because of the shame we feel from letting loved ones down.
- If you or someone you care about has struggled with addiction, understanding these 12 steps could be the key to unlocking long-lasting change.
- Each step centers around a phrase, many of them invoking the ideas of God or a “higher power” who guides the recovering addict in various facets of their journey into sobriety.
- Being ready doesn’t mean we know how to remove them yet—it means we’re open to spiritual help in releasing them.
- This step is about finding a great power to put your faith in.
Making Amends: Forgiveness and Growth in Recovery
The Big Book teaches that defects of character are the root causes of our addiction, and this step is about preparing to let them go, even when they feel familiar or comfortable. Being ready doesn’t mean we know how to remove them yet—it means we’re open to spiritual help in releasing them. Step 5 is where we take the truths uncovered in Step 4 and share them openly with a sponsor or spiritual advisor. It’s not enough to simply write out our inventory—this step asks us to speak it aloud to another person and to God, breaking free from the isolation and secrecy that fueled our addiction.
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. Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from your friends at Houston Intergroup. The Twelve Concepts for World Service were written by A.A.’s co-founder Bill W.
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions ASL – Step Three
Alcoholics Anonymous was created in 1935 by two men, Bill Wilson and Robert Smith, who were both struggling with alcohol dependency. The group was founded to bring together a sense of community within the disease and to use that community to become successful in recovery. To learn more about Alcoholics Anonymous, read why it still works all these years after its creation. If you’re interested in learning how you can leverage a 12-step group to help your recovery, contact FHE Health and learn about our aftercare and support group options.
The 12 Principles of AA Support Your Recovery
When followed as written in the Big Book and worked with a sponsor, the Twelve Steps have proven to be a powerful path to lasting sobriety and emotional healing. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global community of individuals who have struggled with alcohol addiction. Founded in 1935, AA has helped millions of people achieve and maintain sobriety through its peer-based recovery program. AA’s principles come from their famous Twelve Step Program. In combination with the steps, the principles offer a guide for personal growth and sustained sobriety that goes beyond abstinence. The 12 Steps of AA are not just a list; they’re a life-changing roadmap to recovery and personal growth!
Step 4: “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
It involves developing healthy habits, attending meetings regularly, and following through on recovery-related tasks. Courage involves being willing to change and face life’s challenges without relying on alcohol. It requires bravery to look at yourself honestly and make complex changes. Faith involves surrendering control and trusting in something beyond yourself for guidance and strength. It’s about finding a source of support and direction to help navigate the recovery challenges. Additionally, a person can always refer back to these 12 steps when they feel their recovery is hitting a rough patch and need extra guidance.