THE PRINCIPLES *
The forward of the 12 and 12 states:
"A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which,
if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink
and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole."
Step 1: Honesty
After many years of denial, recovery can begin when with one simple admission of
being powerless over alcohol -- for alcoholics and their friends and family.
Step 2: Hope
It seems to be a spiritual truth, that before a higher power can begin to operate, you
must first believe that it can.
Step 3: Faith
A lifetime of self-will run riot can come to a screeching halt, and change forever, by
making a simple decision to turn it all over to a higher power.
Step 4: Courage
There is a saying in the 12-step programs that recovery is a process, not an event.
The same can be said for this step -- more will surely be revealed.
Step 5: Integrity
Probably the most difficult of all the steps to face, Step 5 is also the one that provides
the greatest opportunity for growth.
Step 6: Willingness
The key to Step 6 is acceptance -- accepting character defects exactly as they are
and becoming entirely willing to let them go.
Step 7: Humility
The spiritual focus of Step 7 is humility, asking a higher power to do something that
cannot be done by self-will or mere determination.
Step 8: Brotherly Love
Making a list of those harmed before coming into recovery may sound simple. Becoming
willing to actually make those amends is the difficult part.
Step 9: Forgiveness
Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but for those serious about
recovery it can be great medicine for the spirit and soul.
Step 10: Perserverance
Nobody likes to admit to being wrong. But it is absolutely necessary to maintain
spiritual progress in recovery.
Step 11: Spirituality
The purpose of Step 11 is to discover the plan God as you understand Him has for your
life.
Step 12: Service
For those in recovery programs, practicing Step 12 is simply "how it works."
The origins of AA's principles, and of the AA program itself, can be traced back to the Oxford Group,
a nondenominational spiritual movement. The co-founders of AA, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, were both
associated with the Oxford Group prior to their meeting in 1935. (Bill attended meetings for five months
and Dr. Bob for two and a half years.) The Oxford Group's influence on the development of AA was substantial.
As Bill Wilson wrote in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, "The important thing is this: the early A.A. got its
ideas of self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects, restitution for harm done, and working with others
straight from the Oxford Groups."
*
Please be aware that the Twelve Principles have not been approved by the General Service Conference. We (G.S.O.) know of them only because
individual members have shared them with us. The principles appear to have been around for some time. Their origins are uncertain,
but perhaps go back to Texas in the early 1950s. Again, we want to underline that these principles are neither Conference-Approved
nor recommended by the G.S.O.; they are simply the thoughts of a member.
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