Taking the Stairs

The "12 steps" of recovery

The first time I broke the seal of an AA meeting, I was immediately struck by the 12 picture-framed "Steps of Recovery" that hung just below the ceiling, lining the length of the wall.  I had heard of these so called "steps" but had no idea what they were or how they applied to me.

I filed through each one in my mind, "Admit I'm powerless... check.  Came to believe in a power greater than myself... check.  Turn my will and life over to God... check.  Made a searching and fearless moral inventory... check.  Admitted to God, myself, and another human being... check.  Ready to have these defects removed... check.  Humbly ask him to remove my shortcomings... Check.  Hey, look at that!  I've only been here a few minutes and I'm already at Step 8!  This recovery thing is a snap!"  Clearly, I had a minimal understanding of how the steps worked.

Eventually, I found a sponsor (that's a whole other story) and began the real process of trudging through the 12 Steps of Recovery.

Steps 1, 2, and 3 were a piece of cake.  I had crawled into the halls of AA on my own volition; I was done fighting.  The war was over and I had lost.  Admitting I was powerless and my life was unmanageable was not a difficult conclusion at which to arrive.  I had also grown up in church, a preacher's kid, and never really forfeited my belief in God.  Admitting that God existed was a simple matter of continuing my existing beliefs.  As for turning my will and life over to God... my best thinking had landed me smack-dab in the middle of recovery.  I knew I was incapable of making proper decisions, so I was more than happy to give God a shot at managing my life.

At step 4, my progress stalled.  It took months to grind through the remainder of the steps.  I pushed forward with the understanding that complete honesty and humility were key to finishing the process.  I completed each step; in full, in order, and didn't skip a single one.  Did I emerge out the other side a changed man?  Not by a long shot.  I was, however, renewed, refreshed, and invigorated.  For the first time, in a long time, my conscience was clean.  There was still much work to do, but I had gained a fresh perspective on how to respect God, myself, and other people.

In a nutshell, the 12 Steps break down as follows...  Steps 1, 2, and 3:  Making peace with God.  Steps 4, 5, 6, and 7:  Making peace with ourselves.  Steps 8 and 9:  Making peace with others.  Steps 10, 11, and 12:  Keeping the peace.

I remain resolute that these Steps were granted us through Divine inspiration.  When honestly and humbly worked, this process promises a happier, more joyful, and abundantly peace-filled life.

I encourage EVERYONE, addict or not, to work the 12 Steps.  Step #1 is the only step that mentions a physical malady, but that's an easy fix ... just take out the word "alcohol/addiction" and plug in your own defect (we all have one).  It can be "over-eating", "jealousy", "pride"... or maybe just "sin."  The point is, nobody's perfect.  We can all stand a little refinement.

Give it a shot.  The worse that can happen is you may actually become a better person (if that's even possible).