When you’re in rehab, your anonymity is important. So, too, is the anonymity of the others you’re in rehab with or attend group sessions with. The importance of anonymity in rehab is a principal foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous, hence the name. Why is anonymity important to recovery? How can you ensure you protect the anonymity … Continued
Twelfth Step: We Spiritually Awoke, Carried the Message and Practiced “Having had a spiritual awakening as result of these steps we tried to carry this message to addicts/alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs” The first and foremost Spiritual Principle in Step Twelve is Service. It would seem the Twelfth Step would … Continued
Eleventh Step: We Sought “We 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.” The main Spiritual Principle of Step Eleven is Spirituality. What is Spirituality? The beautiful thing about AA and … Continued
Tenth Step: We Continued “We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, we promptly admitted it.” “Ugh, I’m so tired of looking at myself! When do I get a break? How much longer do I have to do this stuff?” Since we’ve made it this far, it only makes sense to go … Continued
Ninth Step: We Make Amends “We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” Many believe the main Spiritual Principle behind Step Nine is Justice. It is in this Step where we make right the wrongs we have done. By the time we’ve reached this … Continued
Eight Step: We Become Willing “We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.” Many Old Timers believe the Spiritual Principle of Brotherly Love is the basis of Step Eight. We must first remember the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous was written in a time … Continued
Seventh Step: We Humbly Ask “We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.” As it says in the NA Daily Meditation, Just for Today: “Why do we call them ‘shortcomings’? Perhaps they should be called ‘long-goings…’” Maybe by the time we’ve reached this step, we have yet to be rid of these, “long-goings.” We still … Continued
Sixth Step: Becoming Entirely Ready Step Six: “We were entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character.” “Entirely ready to remove what!?” We exclaimed, as we read this step. “I thought there were no requirements for membership in NA or AA. The only requirement is the desire to stop using drugs and drinking. … Continued
Fifth Step: Admitting to God, Ourselves and Another “We admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” We have finally made it to the Fifth Step! The first Spiritual Principle behind Step Five is Integrity. Integrity is something other people had before we got clean and sober. … Continued
Step Four: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves “C-c-c-c-courage!,” whimpers the Cowardly Lion, as he approaches the Dark Forest in The Wizard of Oz. He was afraid of the dark and lacked the courage to move forward. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Courage is defined as: “mental or moral strength to venture, … Continued