Step 12 Stuff

More from The Little Red Book . . .

Since this is an interpretation of established A.A. concepts, it would be inconsistent to mince words over spiritual values or to withhold the fact that a spiritual awakening is an essential part of our recovery. Without the spiritual principles of the Twelve Steps there could be no A.A.  Our sobriety demands a personality change.  We gain this in the form of a spiritual awakening from living the A.A. program.

Is it possible that an alcoholic can arrest the physical allergy and the mental obsession of alcoholism by his own power?  We think not.  Evidently, we require spiritual aid to attain the mental stability conducive to the sobriety that we wish to enjoy.

(More from me . . . I'm aware that spirituality and religion can get mixed up in the minds of a resistant newcomer. This is why we come up with little sayings like "Religion is for people who are afraid of going to hell and spirituality is for people who have already been there." I grew up in a church so I didn't have any problem with the concept of a God - it was just that my conception wasn't working for me. I needed a practical God, wearing blue jeans and a hard hat and carrying a power drill of some kind, not an effete God talking down to me from a lofty perch about arcane matters. I didn't need a theoretical explanation of lying and why it wasn't a great thing to do - I needed a boots-on-the-ground, real-life explanation. If you lie at work this is what happens - that kind of thing.

Early on I was pretty hard-ass about A.A., believing that if you were an alcoholic this was the only your choice if you wanted a productive and serene sobriety. I no longer believe that. I think it's a path, one that works for millions of alcoholics, but it's not the only path. I always say today that if you're sober and relatively happy then keep doing what you're doing - we can't improve on that outcome. But if you're going to give A.A. a shot then it's going to be helpful to grasp the fact that it's a spiritually based 12 Step Program. I fear sometimes our members may be a little too welcoming about our spiritual underpinnings, loath to say "God" or "spiritual" to newcomers. It's like wanting to get in shape and deciding to try swimming, then showing up at a yoga studio - no one's saying swimming isn't good exercise but if you're at a yoga studio give the yoga teacher a break. Don't stand in the corner of the room in your bathing suit, bitching about the yoga class. Go find a pool. It's a YOGA class!