Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is a program created to help alcoholics on the path to recovery from alcoholism. Founded on June 10th, 1935 in Akron, Ohio by Bill W. and Dr. Bob, it utilizes a twelve step program to help those suffering from alcohol addiction to overcome their addiction, relying on faith in a "higher power". Both Wilson and Smith were members of the Oxford Group, a Christian reform movement started by Lutheran minister Frank Buchman, until about 1939 when the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" was published.
The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
- We admitted we were powerless over alcoholâthat 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.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- 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, 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 illicit sex.
Higher Power
The "higher power" cited in Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step groups does not necessarily refer to God. The phrase "God as we understood Him" allows members to choose other gods or "powers" to help them in their recovery.