What This Step Means
Step Twelve is about sharing what you've learned and living differently.
This step has three parts:
- You've had a spiritual awakening
- You help other alcoholics
- You practice these principles in everything you do
What "Spiritual Awakening" Means
A spiritual awakening is a deep change in how you see life:
- You feel connected to something bigger than yourself
- You have hope where you once had despair
- You care about others, not just yourself
- You want to do the right thing
- You feel peaceful most of the time
- You're grateful to be alive
This change might happen:
- Suddenly, like a lightning bolt
- Gradually, over months or years
- So slowly you don't notice it at first
Carrying the Message
What the message is:
- Recovery is possible
- The twelve steps work
- You don't have to suffer alone
- There is hope for alcoholics
- Life can get better
How to carry the message:
- Share your story at AA meetings
- Sponsor someone new to AA
- Take someone to their first meeting
- Visit alcoholics in hospitals or treatment centers
- Be an example of recovery in action
- Listen to people who are struggling
What you share:
- What it was like when you were drinking
- What happened to change your life
- What your life is like now in recovery
- How the steps helped you
- Hope that others can recover too
Practicing These Principles
The principles include:
- Honesty in all your dealings
- Hope for yourself and others
- Faith in your higher power
- Courage to do the right thing
- Humility about your place in the world
- Willingness to change and grow
- Love and service to others
Where to practice them:
- At home with your family
- At work with your colleagues
- In your friendships
- In your community
- With strangers you meet
- In how you handle money
- In all your relationships
How This Step Changes Your Life
Your focus shifts:
- From "What can I get?" to "What can I give?"
- From thinking only about yourself to caring about others
- From being a burden to being helpful
- From taking from life to contributing to life
Your relationships improve:
- People trust you more
- You're more reliable and honest
- You're easier to be around
- You attract healthier people
- You give more and expect less
Your purpose becomes clear:
- You know why you're alive
- You have something meaningful to do
- You feel useful and needed
- Your pain now has purpose
- You can help others avoid your mistakes
Helping Other Alcoholics
Why it works:
- You understand what they're going through
- You have hope to offer them
- You remember what it was like to be hopeless
- Helping others keeps you sober
- It gives meaning to your suffering
How to help:
- Listen without judging
- Share your experience, not advice
- Don't try to fix everyone
- Be patient with people who aren't ready
- Remember you can't keep someone sober
- Stay humble about your role
What to remember:
- You plant seeds; you don't force growth
- Some people will get sober, others won't
- Your job is to carry the message, not the alcoholic
- Keep helping regardless of the results
- Your effort matters even when people don't get sober
Living the Steps Daily
- Step 1: Stay honest about your powerlessness over alcohol
- Step 2: Keep believing that your higher power can help you
- Step 3: Keep turning your will over to your higher power
- Step 4: Keep looking at yourself honestly
- Step 5: Keep sharing honestly with others
- Step 6: Stay willing to change
- Step 7: Keep asking for help with your character defects
- Step 8: Stay willing to make amends
- Step 9: Make amends when appropriate
- Step 10: Keep taking daily inventory
- Step 11: Keep praying and meditating
- Step 12: Keep helping others and practicing these principles
Common Challenges
"I don't feel qualified to help others"
- Your experience is your qualification
- You don't need to be perfect
- Share what you've learned, not what you haven't
- Let your higher power work through you
"People don't want my help"
- That's not your decision to make
- Keep offering, but don't force it
- Some people aren't ready yet
- Your availability matters even when people say no
"I can't practice these principles everywhere"
- Start where you can
- Be patient with yourself
- Progress, not perfection
- Ask your higher power for help
The Promises of Recovery
When you work all twelve steps, you may experience:
- Freedom from the obsession to drink
- Peace of mind most of the time
- Better relationships with family and friends
- A sense of purpose and meaning
- The ability to handle life's problems
- Joy and gratitude for being alive
- A connection to your higher power
- The knowledge that you're helping others
Remember
- This step is about giving back what was freely given to you
- Helping others helps you stay sober
- You practice these principles one day at a time
- You don't have to be perfect to help someone
- Your recovery is a gift you can share with others
- The twelve steps are a way of life, not just a way to get sober