The Twelve Steps are defined by Alcoholics
Anonymous as:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—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.
Other recommended behaviors include attending meetings,
obtaining a sponsor, and staying away from the people, places, and
things that trigger substance abuse
