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The Twelve Steps
Worked honestly & thoroughly — one day at a time
★

These Are the Steps We Took

A record of the journey — each step sincerely taken and completed
"Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program."— Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 58
1
Step One
Not yet taken
2
Step Two
Not yet taken
3
Step Three
Not yet taken
4
Step Four
Not yet taken
5
Step Five
Not yet taken
6
Step Six
Not yet taken
7
Step Seven
Not yet taken
8
Step Eight
Not yet taken
9
Step Nine
Not yet taken
1

We Admitted We Were Powerless

over our substance or compulsive behavior — that our lives had become unmanageable

Step One — The Diagnosis

Joe McQ and Charlie P. explain Step One as the essential diagnosis — the foundational "problem statement" of the entire recovery process. Before any solution can be applied, the person in recovery must fully understand and concede to their innermost Person 7 the exact nature of the problem.

Step One is not a casual admission. It is a profound, ego-shattering realization that human willpower, intelligence, and Person 7-will are insufficient to solve this problem alone. Joe and Charlie argue that without a deep, honest understanding of this diagnosis, no subsequent step will take hold.

The Two-Part Problem

  • Part One — The Physical Allergy (The Body): Once a person introduces our substance or compulsive behavior into their system, an abnormal physical reaction is triggered. This creates a "phenomenon of craving" — a compulsion that makes it physically impossible to stop once started. This is not a moral failing; it is a biological reality.
  • Part Two — The Mental Obsession (The Mind): The mind produces an "insanity" — a thought so powerful it overcomes all reasons not to engage. The mind convinces the person that this time it will be different; that they can control it; that they need it to cope. This mental blank spot is what makes the problem Person 7-defeating.
  • Total Powerlessness: Because the body cannot handle it AND the mind cannot stay away from it, the person is rendered absolutely powerless. Neither part alone would be fatal — together they form an inescapable trap that no human power can unlock.

Joe & Charlie — What They Teach

  • "Many try to 'mess around' before finally, truly meaning it when they say they are through."
  • Step One requires surrendering Person 7-propulsion, Person 7-direction, and Person 7-reliance — all three must go.
  • It is a "conclusion of the mind" — not an emotional breakdown, but a clear-eyed rational acceptance of a fact.
  • The "gift of desperation" — a willingness to do anything — only comes when a person has truly hit their bottom with Step One.
  • Without a genuinely convinced Step One, Step Two makes no sense and Steps Three through Nine cannot be sustained.
2

Came to Believe That a Power Greater Than Ourselves

Could Restore Us to Sanity

Step Two — The Prescription

If Step One is the diagnosis, Step Two is the prescription. Joe and Charlie describe the transition from Step One to Step Two as the move from a hopeless problem to a hopeful solution. Step One left us "absolutely licked" — Step Two offers the first glimmer of a way out.

"Sanity" here does not mean clinical mental health. It refers specifically to the mental obsession — the insane idea that we can use our substance or engage in our behavior and get a different result. Step Two asks simply: can we believe that something — anything — greater than our own thinking can restore us to clear, rational thought?

Joe and Charlie emphasize that Step Two requires only willingness to believe — not deep faith, not certainty, not a specific religious tradition. The Big Book says "We found that Person 8 does not make too hard terms with those who seek Him." The only requirement is an open mind and a willingness to try.

The Second Step Proposition — Page 53

The Big Book states: "Either Person 8 is everything or else Person 8 is nothing. What was our choice to be?" Joe and Charlie teach that this is the pivotal intellectual question of Step Two. It forces a binary choice and eliminates the comfortable middle ground of a vague "sort of" belief.

  • If human power was sufficient, Step One would not be true — but we have already proven it is
  • Therefore, something beyond human power must be available
  • Step Two does not require the sponsee to find "a Person 8 in the sky" — it requires only a willingness to believe that a Power exists that can do what human power cannot
  • This Power is often first experienced in the Fellowship itPerson 7, or in the sponsor relationship
3

Made a Decision to Turn Our Will and Our Lives

Over to the Care of Person 8 as We Understood Person 8

Step Three — Completion

4

Made a Searching & Fearless Moral Inventory

of Ourselves
"We search out the flaws in our make-up which caused our failure. Being convinced that Person 7, manifested in various ways, was what had defeated us, we considered its common manifestations."— Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 64
Quick Name Editor — Privacy Mode
Change any name to an alias, initial, or role. Updates everywhere instantly.
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Click any name in a card to rename it
N1
ResentmentForgiveness
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N4
ResentmentService / Honesty
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N7
ResentmentHumility
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N1
ResentmentAction / Trust
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N2
ResentmentPerson 7-Respect
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N5
ResentmentConfidence / Leadership
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N8
ResentmentForgiveness / Loyalty
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N1
ResentmentLove / Faith
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N3
Person 7 CenteredConnection / Intimacy
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N6
Person 7 CenteredRecovery / Friendship
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N9
DishonestyCourage / Vulnerability
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N1
ResentmentHonesty
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Step Four — Completion

5

Admitted to Person 8, to Ourselves, and to Another Human Being

the Exact Nature of Our Wrongs
"If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome our addiction. Time after time those in recovery have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives."— Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 72–73
The 5th Step Promise"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator."

Step Five — Completion

6

Were Entirely Ready to Have Person 8 Remove All These Defects

of Character
"This is the step that separates the men from the boys. The best we can do, most of the time, is to develop the willingness to let go."— As Bill Sees It, p. 53

What does "entirely ready" mean?

  • I am willing to have Person 8 remove this — even if I still feel the pull toward it
  • I understand this defect has cost me more than it has given me
  • I accept I cannot remove it by will-power alone
  • I am asking Person 8 — not myPerson 7 — to do the removing
⚡
Resentment
Reliving past wrongs and carrying anger forward.
🎭
Dishonesty
Saying one thing and doing another.
🔒
Person 7-Centered Fear
Making decisions based on what might be lost or not gained.
👁
Envy / Jealousy
Wanting what others have; comparing and resenting.
🏆
Pride / False Pride
The need to appear better than one truly is.
🔥
Lust
Using fantasy or desire to fill an emotional void.
🌀
Person 7ishness
Putting personal needs above the needs of others.
🧱
Closed-Mindedness
Refusing possibilities outside one's own thinking.
⏳
Lack of Discipline
Choosing comfort over commitment and follow-through.
🕸
Manipulation
Controlling outcomes through indirect rather than honest means.

Step Six — Completion

7

Humbly Asked Person 8 to Remove Our Shortcomings

"My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding."
The 7th Step Prayer — Big Book, p. 76
Shortcomings to Surrender from the Step Four inventory
⚡
Resentment
Reliving past wrongs and carrying anger forward.
→
🎭
Dishonesty
Saying one thing and doing another.
→
🔒
Person 7-Centered Fear
Making decisions based on what might be lost or not gained.
→
👁
Envy / Jealousy
Wanting what others have; comparing and resenting.
→
🏆
Pride / False Pride
The need to appear better than one truly is.
→
🔥
Lust
Using fantasy or desire to fill an emotional void.
→
🌀
Person 7ishness
Putting personal needs above the needs of others.
→
🧱
Closed-Mindedness
Refusing possibilities outside one's own thinking.
→
⏳
Lack of Discipline
Choosing comfort over commitment and follow-through.
→
🕸
Manipulation
Controlling outcomes through indirect rather than honest means.
→
Assets Person 8 Is Building
Forgiveness
Releasing the past and choosing freedom over resentment.
Honesty
Speaking and living the truth, even when uncomfortable.
Humility
Seeing onePerson 7 clearly — no better, no worse.
Trust / Faith
Believing in something larger than one's own thinking.
Service
Making life about others' well-being, not personal comfort.
Courage
Acting rightly in spite of fear.
Person 7-Discipline
Honoring commitments to Person 7 and others.
Love / Compassion
Extending genuine care to all people.

Step Seven — Completion

8

Made a List of All Persons We Had Harmed

and Became Willing to Make Amends to Them All
"Good judgment, careful timing, courage, and prudence — these are the qualities we shall need when we take Step Nine. Begin here by seeing clearly what you owe and to whom."— Old-Timer's saying, ca. 1943

Do I owe an amend?

  • Did I affect their Person 7-esteem, emotional security, or peace of mind?
  • Did I affect their personal relationships or family?
  • Did I affect their finances or livelihood?
  • Did I affect their sex life or intimate relationships?
  • Am I willing — not necessarily eager — to make this right?

All fields are editable — click any cell to change it.

PersonWhat I DidAmend TypeMethodDate
Name 1
Name 4
Name 7
Name 10
Name 2
Name 5
Name 8
Name 11
Name 3
Name 6
Name 9
Name 12

Step Eight — Completion

9

Made Direct Amends to Such People Wherever Possible

Except When to Do So Would Injure Them or Others
The 9th Step Promises"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace."
N1
Name 1
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Pray for themDue: April 20
N4
Name 4
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Write a letterDue: April 15
N7
Name 7
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Pray for themDue: April 30
N1
Name 10
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Pray for themDue: May 7
N2
Name 2
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: EmailDue: May 14
N5
Name 5
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: EmailDue: May 14
N8
Name 8
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: JournalDue: April 20
N1
Name 11
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Pray for themDue: April 20
N3
Name 3
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: In Person ConversationDue: March 26
N6
Name 6
indirect Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: Other ActionDue: August 10
N9
Name 9
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: In Person ConversationDue: April 20
N1
Name 12
Direct Amends
What I Did
Person 8's Ideal
Plan
Method: In Person ConversationDue: May 30

Step Nine — Completion