we of alcoholics anonymous
are more than 100 men and women who have
recovered from a seemingly hopeless
state of mind and body
to show other alcoholics precisely how
we have recovered
is the main purpose of this book
remember that we deal with alcohol
cunning
baffling powerful without help
it is too much for us but there is one
who has all power
that one is god may you find him now
half measures availed us nothing we
stood at the turning point
we asked his protection and care with
complete abandon
here are the steps we took which are
suggested as a program of recovery
one we admitted we were powerless over
alcohol that our lives have become
unmanageable
two came to believe that a power greater
than
ourselves could restore us to sanity
three made a decision to turn our will
and our lives over to the care of god
as we understood him
four made a searching and fearless moral
inventory of ourselves
five admitted to god to ourselves
and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs
six we're entirely ready to have god
remove
all these defects of character
seven humbly asked him to remove our
shortcomings
eight made a list of all persons we had
harmed
and became willing to make amends to
them all
nine make direct amends to such people
wherever possible except when to do so
would injure them or others
ten continued to take personal inventory
and when we were wrong promptly admitted
it
eleven 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
twelve having had a spiritual awakening
as the result of these steps
we tried to carry this message to
alcoholics
and to practice these principles in all
our affairs
you