Progress Not Perfection

Step 3 – Made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God as we understood him.                 I will be the first to admit that I had zero understanding of this step. On the surface it sounds easy enough; as the slogan says “Let Go and Let God.”   But what exactly does that mean?   I had a certain anxiety about God. I thought at best I was God’s personal jester; a puppet to be played with when He needed a laugh. How could I trust Him with my life?                    The Big Book and 12 x 12 point out that faith in a Higher Power was critical to the effectiveness of the rest of the steps.   Like many others, I turned to the religion of my upbringing for greater clarity. However, I wanted nothing to do with religion. I wasn’t trying to be saved, delivered or anything e...

The 2 nd   Step – Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.                 Rising from rock bottom is not easy. Not only are we confronted with staying away from a drink but we also face the need to change our thinking too. After admitting we were alcoholics, we arrive at the 2nd Step. Step 2 is the bridge of hope from a hopeless condition to the promise of a new life. To take this step we are only required to believe. Belief is the key word! It’s the beginning of change.                    This was a bit tricky for me. I saw the 2 nd Step not only telling me to believe in a Higher Power*, but to also admit that I was insane. My willingness to believe took a heavy stumble when it came to seeing anything positive for myself.    In the beginning all I believed in was f...

There is no more controversial word in AA than God. It can scare people away. The “G” word invariably sparks a debate whether Alcoholics Anonymous is religious or not. In their first meeting, a newcomer could very well believe they have entered a religious program. This is not a surprise. Many meetings begin with the Serenity Prayer and close with the Lord’s Prayer. The word God is mentioned multiple times in group literature and the term Higher Power is often mentioned in sharing. It can be confusing and I wish more meetings discussed this, especially for people in early in sobriety. I am writing this to help those who have questions about God and AA. We are not a secret cult, we have no required beliefs, ecclesial structure or dogmatic systems. The only membership requirement is a desire to quit drinking. I’ve seen too many people run away from AA because spirituality is confused with religion. I sobered up in the Bible Belt where it was not uncommon to hear script...

Much of the criticism I hear directed at Alcoholics Anonymous is the mistaken idea that one must find God, ergo some religious form of God to get sober.   I know there are many who eschew AA for the very reason; some people have a very difficult time separating the idea of God from religion.   The wording of the 3 rd step allows us personally define our Higher Power. The 3 rd Step phrase, “-God as we understand Him,” display the genius of co-founder Bill W.   Whether through foresight or his own resistance toward religion, this wording of the 3 rd Step, opened the door to countless people who have never given AA a chance. It’s was quite a remarkable idea at the time, considering that AA was born in 1935, it’s spiritual framework built up on the tenants of The Oxford Group (now named Moral Rearmament) which was a decidedly Christian organization.   AA, by leaving the God door open, has helped millions of non-Christians, including Jews, Muslims and B...

            The 12 Steps of AA share spiritual themes such as honesty, humility, and forgiveness with all the world’s great religious traditions. However religious belief is not necessary to work the steps or get sober. The concepts of God or a Higher Power are entirely personal to the individual.   Actions such taking a moral inventory, making amends, and being of service to others are guidelines to sobriety. The steps help us not only to get and stay sober, but to help us evolve and become better versions of ourselves. The first definition I heard of spirituality was that “Religion was for people afraid of going to Hell and spirituality was for people for already had been there.”     As a veteran of multiple tours to the lower realms, I could identify, but what is spirituality? It can be easily misunderstood as religion. You can certainly be spiritual while being religious, but religious belief is not necessary. Spiri...