Category: 12-Steps

Depending on whom you ask, AA has a success rate of about 5–10%. And when I say “whom,” I mean people who actually study this shit — you know, scientists — not the schmuck old-timer at AA who likes to quote page 58 about, “rarely have we seen a person fail blah blah blah.” Let…

An AA sponsor is someone who takes you through the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Ideally, they follow the steps as outlined in the Big Book. Here’s what an AA sponsor does, why you need one, and what to stay on guard for. What an AA Sponsor Does While a sponsor’s primary job is to…

In AA Step 12 says, “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.” When we think of step 12 in AA, we often think of the first part of the step — service, carrying the message,…

Step 11 in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) is about much more than a single prayer, though the 11th step prayers are pretty solid. The 11th step in AA says, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understand Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the…

In AA step 10 is the beginning of the “maintenance” steps. In the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, step 10 reads: “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.” Step 10 should begin while we’re working through our amends in step 9. You don’t have to wait until you’ve completed…

In AA step 9 says we, “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.” In AA step 9 is humbling, and it’s hard, but thankfully, if we’ve worked through Step 8 with our sponsor, then we’re prepared. Step 8 is when we make our list…

In AA step 8 is, “Made a list of all people we have harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.” What scares most people is step 9—the actual making of the amends—and they usually let that fear keep them from doing the writing that step 8 requires. Remember—you’re not doing step 9…

In AA, step 6 is one of most misunderstood and misinterpreted of the 12 steps. Step 6 in Alcoholics Anonymous reads, “Were entirely ready to have god remove all these defects of character.” (Remember, that’s a god of your understanding. You can work the 12 steps without god). When we talk about step 6, we…

In AA, step 5 is often looked at as one of the hardest steps that exists. Why? Because the 5th step in AA is confession—and confession is incredibly humbling and humiliating. If you’ve gone through confession before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Talking about your deepest, darkest secrets isn’t exactly fun—it’s horrible. You…

Step 4 of AA is intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Up to this point in the 12 steps, we’ve done nothing more than answer 3 questions and make a decision. In step 1, we admitted that we were powerless over drugs and alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable. Those are a…