The Basics of the Program
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a nonprofit fellowship that offers a method of recovery from alcoholism. The core of its program is the "How It Works" or "The Big Book" (the Twelfth Step readings), which is an outline that offers a detailed description of how to achieve sobriety through the Twelve Steps. AA's Twelve Steps, as outlined in the Twelfth Step reading, revolve around the following main goals:
-
Admission of_powerlessness: The first step involves recognizing that one is unable to control or change certain behaviors, particularly drinking and drug use. This admit enables individuals to release control and admit that they cannot do it on their own.
-
Seeking a powerful higher power: In the second step, individuals seek to connect with a higher power, such as a spiritual being,上帝, or a higher power.
-
Making a searching and fearless moral inventory: This step involves examining the self to identify past mistakes and to understand how addiction was fueled by selfishness, egoism, and lack of motivation.
-
Baptizing in water: The fourth step involves participating in a ceremony that symbolically rinses away one's impurities and helps one feel cleaner, both physically and spiritually.
-
Maintenance of sobriety: The fifth step focuses on living a clean and healthy lifestyle, avoiding situations that could lead to relapse, and regularly attending AA meetings.
-
Service: The sixth step emphasizes the importance of giving back to the community, which can take the form of volunteering, sharing experiences, or leading meetings.
-
Seeking growth: Steps seven and eight involve working on personal development and seeking to make amends for past wrongs. This includes making amends to those harmed by alcohol abuse and making changes in one's life.
-
Having a higher power and living honorably: Steps nine and ten ensure that one's behavior aligns with spiritual principles, avoiding any appearance of dual living. This step also involves maintaining honesty and transparency in all relationships.
-
Perfecting our program: Steps eleven and twelve focus on deepening one's personal relationship with the higher power and continuously improving life through the Twelve Steps.
AA's approach is based on the principle of abstinence from addictive substances and behaviors. Although the program has expanded beyond alcohol to include other substances, its core belief remains the same: that alcohol addiction is a disease that can be managed and, with the right support and effort, conquered through a process of self-discovery and spiritual awakening.