12 Steps

A.A.'s Real History - a product of ongoing research and open-mindedness.
The more the research, the more writers are able to divest themselves of the idea as to what AAs do and don't say, believe, practice, and pass along. The shibboleths of higher power, spiritual but not religious, salvation or something, nonsense gods that can be chairs, and all the other baggage that has emerged from lack of historical research may never be extracted from today's recovery language. But there's hope.

A.A. had several distinct and usually unreported epochs.

All to often, people fail in their recovery attempts only because they were in a hurry. Even in recovery...things take time.

For alcoholics and addicts, it is especially true that difficulties play an enormous part in our lives. They call forth our power, our strength, and our energies as nothing can. But when clean and sober, sometimes they strengthen character.

If you want to remain clean and sober, I suggest that you get to a meeting, and frequently.

For addicts, the brightest, most inviting path of all was the one marked "The Twelve Step Process". This path is recognized by doctors, psychiatrists, counselors, and recovering addicts around the world as the sure thing, the gimme, the easy button, and the road map to a successful recovery.

Over half a century ago, a Christian revival movement, the "Oxford Group", found that some principles in that movement could be adapted to help alcoholics and addicts experience hope, sobriety, and cleanliness. These principles soon evolved into the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous. These steps were created to help liberate people from the chains of addiction and find freedom, forgiveness, hope, and guidance for the future.

A.A. Founders' Descriptions of God Before the 1939 Compromise

The making of amends and restoring for things wrongfully taken are rooted in the Bible.

Every day, recovering people meet at a variety of locations—churches, homes and community centers. No pre-registration is required for these meetings. Interested individuals simply locate a group that focuses on their particular problem and then attend the meeting. Group participants remain essentially anonymous; they need not reveal any personal information except their first names. During the meetings, they are free to speak openly and
honestly about current issues in their lives or to remain silent and listen to others. In this environment, participants don't have to pretend their lives are perfect and free of problems.

Recovery support group meetings vary in format, cover many different subjects and utilize different types of materials. The

Their Relationship to Christianity

If you have known anyone in Alcoholics Anonymous, you may have been struck by the rapidity with which men and women catch on to what they often call "The Program." A new person will come into a meetin