The Core Principle of Recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous is surrender – specifically, admitting powerlessness over alcohol and accepting that life has become unmanageable. The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous set forth the guiding principles for our recovery.
AA often compares the three legacies to a three-legged stool. Recovery, Unity, and Service are all needed to keep the stool balanced and stable. Recovery is outlined in the book Alcoholics Anonymous and is discussed at length in the meeting rooms of A.A.
THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
- 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.
Copyright 1952, 1953, 1981 by Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing
(now known as Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.)
All rights reserved.
These are the Spiritual Principles of A.A.’s Legacy of Recovery
- Step 1: Honesty (or Acceptance) — Admitting powerlessness over alcohol and recognizing that life has become unmanageable.
- Step 2: Hope — Believing that a power greater than oneself can restore sanity and bring about positive change.
- Step 3: Faith (or Surrender) — Making a decision to turn one’s will and life over to the care of a Higher Power as personally understood.
- Step 4: Courage — Completing a searching and fearless moral inventory of oneself.
- Step 5: Integrity — Admitting to God, to oneself, and to another human being the exact nature of past wrongs.
- Step 6: Willingness — Becoming entirely ready to have character defects removed.
- Step 7: Humility — Humbly asking for shortcomings to be removed and recognizing personal limitations.
- Step 8: Brotherly Love (or Compassion) — Making a comprehensive list of all persons harmed and becoming willing to make amends.
- Step 9: Discipline (or Justice) — Making direct amends to those who were harmed, except when doing so would cause injury.
- Step 10: Perseverance — Continuing to take a personal daily inventory and promptly admitting faults when wrong.
- Step 11: Spiritual Awareness — Seeking to improve conscious contact with a Higher Power through prayer and meditation.
- Step 12: Service — Carrying the message of recovery to other alcoholics and practicing these core principles in all daily affairs.