Alcoholics Anonymous

An organization to help alcoholics on the path to recovery from alcoholism. Alcoholics Anonymous utilizes a twelve step program to help those suffering from alcohol addiction to overcome their addiction, drawing heavily from faith in a "higher power". Per their literature, "A.A. is not a religious organization. All members are free to decide on their own personal ideas about the meaning of life." The non-denominational nature of A.A. has been one of the keys to its success.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. 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.

12. 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.

The Success of 12-Step Programs

The inclusiveness and support of 12-step programs has led to the model being extended to other addictions, such as narcotics, gambling, and sex.

External Links

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/