Steps 10, 11, & 12 - the triplets!

Step #10 - "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."

Step #11 - "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 he power to carry that out."

Step #12 - "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and practice these principles in all of our affairs."

These maintenance steps are fairly straight forward, quick and simple.  If done honestly and often, the last three steps will keep you from EVER having to go back to repeat steps 1 - 9.

In a nutshell, step #10 encourages us to make amends as wrongs occur, rather than waiting until our sins have stacked up to the point of threatening our sobriety. We've gone through all the trouble of cleaning out that disgusting closet, let's keep it spotless!  The habit of hoarding guilt, shame, and anger belongs in the past, not in our present or future.  Let's face it, after confronting the horrors of steps 9 and 10, do we really want to walk down that road again?

In step #11 we're instructed to make an effort to move ever forward in our relationship with God.  Back in step #3, we made a decision to turn our will and lives over to His care.  Step #11 pushes us toward advancing that relationship while working toward spiritual growth.  The suggested tools of prayer and meditation lay at our feet, but make no mistake, these advisories are but the tip of the iceberg!  We're well advised to expand our spirituality via theological study, scriptural examination, active fellowship, and helping others.  If we stop moving forward we risk stagnation.  You can't take the journey with your car stuck in idle.

Finally, we come to the end of our journey - step #12.  This last step requires us to simply "pay it forward."  We didn't conquer this journey on our own strength.  We met many saints along the way who helped us navigate this minefield.  If not for them, we would never have made it through the darkness.  Now it's your turn.