LEADING THE WAY TO RECOVERY
Welcome to the Alcoholics Anonymous Blog!
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. There primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Members attend meetings where they share their experiences, strengths, and hopes with others who are also recovering from alcoholism. AA is a place to learn from the successful experience of others. The support and guidance offered in Alcoholics Anonymous has been proven to be beneficial in helping many people overcome problems with alcohol.
The first 12 step program began with Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) in the 1930s, with these 12 steps.
* Step 1- We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable
* Step 2- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
* Step 3- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
* Step 4- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
* Step 5- Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
* Step 6- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
* Step 7- Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
* Step 8- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
* Step 9- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
* 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 God
* Step 12- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs
Throughout the past century the 12 step process has grown to adapt a wide variety of different addictions, and has help many to achieve freedom.
AA meetings in different places may be quite different from each other. For this reason, you should shop around until you find a meeting that feels comfortable. Some meetings are specialized, such as men’s or women’s meetings, and some are open to non-alcoholic participants. The best way to get information on specific meeting sites and policies is to check with a local chapter of AA.
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