Alcoholics Anonymous: 12 Steps To Help
Alcoholics Anonymous is a twelve-step program for recovering from alcoholism. The 12 steps are broken down into three groups: "The First Step" or "The A.A. Way of Life," "Twelve Traditions," and the last group of practices, "Twelve Concepts." These last two sets are what makes Alcoholics Anonymous unique and powerful to their members.
The first group is referred to as the "A.A. Way of Life." These steps guide newcomers and old-timers through their recovery, giving them a greater purpose for living, a therapy technique and an understanding of what the disease of alcoholism really is. It is this first set that is most commonly used by A.A members when talking to other alcoholics about their program and also what new members have to focus on more than any other aspect of the 12 steps for the first year or so of their sobriety.
The "Twelve Traditions" are broken up into two parts: The First Tradition and The Second Tradition; each has six parts themselves, making a total of twelve traditions in all. The Traditions are important to Alcoholics Anonymous because they are guidelines that keep the program safe. These Traditions have been part of A.A. since its founding in 1935 and have been crucial to the longevity of the organization. It may be mentioned that Tradition Ten is often left out of meetings, as some groups feel it is inappropriate for a meeting place for alcoholics, as well being overly religious in tone.
The "Twelve Concepts" are new additions to the 12 Steps and were added in 1976 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. The "Twelve Concepts" take the new members and help them understand what sobriety means, as well as allowing for new members to receive the 12 Steps in a more gentle manner.
In the beginning of A.A., Alcoholics Anonymous was more of a religious organization than anything else. Today, though, the program has lost much of its religious origin, and the twelve steps have become simply part of a personal transformation process rather than a religious one. As such, any member who is comfortable with this change can choose A.A.'s 12 concepts at meetings with no significant effect on their actual recovery process or progress toward sobriety.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, as written in the Big Book, are: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 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 the power to carry that out. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 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 the power to carry that out. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics who still suffer.
The Big Book for Alcoholics Anonymous was officially adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous General Service Board on June 25, 1939, and the first printing was done in 1939. It is the book in which AA's twelve-step program is described. The book is now copyrighted and published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc (AAWS) and has been printed in over 45 languages world-wide since it was first released. AAWS distributes the official AA pamphlets and books as a service to AA members.
The "Big Book" or "High Road" of A.A. is considered by many to be a key document that defines A.A., because it emphasizes the concept of "not drinking again. For many of the members, the book is a spiritual Bible, and for some it is their authority for sobriety.
The book emphasizes the importance of faith in God or a higher power. It describes in depth 12 methods that can be used to recover from alcoholism. The book also has stories of people who were addicted to alcohol and how they recovered by means of the twelve steps.
The book has been criticized by some members as being "too religious" and that A.A.'s religious aim was not suitable to all alcoholics, who may find this approach not compatible with their own beliefs or desires.
Another criticism is that some alcoholics may find the book difficult to read, as it can be seen to have a school textbook-like tone that lacks the passion and heart of much of the A.A. literature that was written after it.
The "Big Book" was written by two alcoholics, Bill Wilson (co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) and Dr. Bob Smith (co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous). Though not officially considered a member of A.A., Ebby Thacher was instrumental in helping Dr. Bob Smith to stop drinking. Thacher's role in helping Smith to stop drinking and Bill Wilson to stop drinking is a similar role that is described in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions as one of the "Twelve Concepts". He was also an important guide to many alcoholics who were not members of A.A.'s main group at that time, and took them through the A.A. program step-by-step, as described in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (since he was not a member, Thacher referred to himself as "Ebby T."). Thacher also worked with Bill Wilsons wife Lois Wilson on the publishing of their story in "The Big Book". The two were married in 1934. The book "Pass It On" by Alcoholics Anonymous describes in detail Dr. Bob Smith's work with Thacher.
According to the foreword of AA's "Big Book", Dr. William Silkworth, a physician who specialized in treating alcoholics, suggested to Bill Wilson that he
Alcoholics Anonymous: 12 Steps To Help should seek out another alcoholic who had "got religion" as a means of helping Wilson change his ideas and actions regarding alcohol abuse. Robert Burney provides a brief sketch of Dr.
Conclusion
The first use of the term "Alcoholics Anonymous" appears in the second edition (1955) of the book Alcoholics Anonymous ("The story of how more than one hundred men have recovered from alcoholism"), which carried the subtitle "The story of how more than one hundred men have recovered from alcoholism introduced by Bill Wilson, their former leader" (emphasis added).
Wilson's secretary had typed the words, and he picked up on them. He was astounded, he later said, to find that A.A.'s fellowship had swollen far beyond his expectations. Especially gratifying was that many members were doctors who had taken to heart what they had heard at A.A.'s fourth anniversary celebration in November 1950.