1. we admitted we were powerless over the effects of addiction that our lives had become unmanageable. the principles behind step 1 are honesty, acceptance and surrender.
2. came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. the principle behind step 2 is hope.
3. made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. the principle behind step 3 is faith.
4. made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. the principle behind step 4 is courage.
5. admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs. the principle behind step 5 is integrity.
6. were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. the principle behind step 6 is willingness.
7. humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. the principle behind step 7 is humility.
8. made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. the principles behind step 8 are justice and brotherly love.
9. made direct amends to such people, wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. the principles behind step 9 are self-discipline and good judgment.
10. continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. the principles behind step 10 are perserverance and open mindedness.
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. the principle behind step 11 is Awareness.
12. having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other codependents, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. The principles behind step 12 are love and service.
after working these 12 steps, i am qualified to say that no amount money in the world can buy these principles for us. andafter realizing these principles are the pay-off of the work we do when we work these steps, they are worth more than anything money can buy. living by these principles, the best way we can, is what recovery means to me...it's nice when i realize the monetary "things" that come because i am sober and can hold down a job today...earn a living. but that's way down on the list when it come to gratitude for what i have today...no amount of money in the world can buy what we get as a result of working the steps.
namaste
sammy
DSAM,
Never seen the steps posted like that and that they seem much easier to understand the way you posted them. I needed your post today.
Thanks,
Mike
Never seen the steps posted like that and that they seem much easier to understand the way you posted them. I needed your post today.
Thanks,
Mike
Sammy,
How is it that you come along right about the time I need you to? I just started the steps and I was having a bit of a problem "getting" all of them, got the first one, which believe it or not, took me awhile. Many relapses kind of awhile, so I guess thats what all of those relapses were for.
Thanks for breaking them down like that. I really need to step this up and get a sponsor, I'm not going to be able to do this on my own.
all the best my friend,
Redd
I'm glad that Sammy posted the steps today. If you start attending NA, I suggest just listening for awhile. Of course pick up your white keytag on your first day at NA to help motivate and inspire you. Those first 30 days are going to be rough, as well as the first 3 months. Please try to do what is suggested, go to 90 meetings in 90 days. This will help you so much. After that find yourself a sponsor and start working the steps. You may think that you can just fly thru the steps but it takes alot of hard work to do each one. To do each one requires complete honesty, deep introspection, humility and faith. But if you work on them, you are in fact working on your life and yourself and everything will change for the better. Not saying that you won't have problems, just that you will better be able to deal with them.
Being clean and sober is a wonderful feeling. That is why those of us that are in recovery keep coming back day after day to this board to try and give a few words of wisdom.........hoping something we say will help just one person. WE continue to try to give away what we have, because it helps us in our journey.
God bless,
Being clean and sober is a wonderful feeling. That is why those of us that are in recovery keep coming back day after day to this board to try and give a few words of wisdom.........hoping something we say will help just one person. WE continue to try to give away what we have, because it helps us in our journey.
God bless,
Sharon,
That was an awsome post, well said. When I look back at this past year or so,
and think about how far we've come through all of the ups and downs we've shared it brings a smile to my face. I'm so glad we've become feiends, you've been a big help to me in my recovery. Sometimes reading what you say to others or don't say even, it helps me. I can see your growth too. I've seen posts here, and knowing you as I do I know you've bit your tongue and decided not to reply at times, and thats what I mean when I say what you don't say helps me too. Congratulations on your 17 months, sorry for being 2 days late on that.
But I wanted you to know I remembered and was thinking of you. I love ya'. As far as the steps go, I can say I honestly enjoy what I've done so far. Getting to really know myself and learning that I'm not alone, that I'm not the only one that thought or felt the way I did and do, or did some of the things I've done to me is a comforting feeling. When I did my 5th step, although I didn't have that spiritual experience I've heard that others have had, I did feel good during and after it was done, and felt very satisfied and relieved. It was a load lifted and a great feeling getting honest and just pouring my thoughts and fears out. I had such anxiety over doing my 4th and 5th but it ended up for me being a positive experience.
Anyway, I love the steps, for me it isn't so much hard work, it's more like a necessary journey that I'm enjoying taking part in.
Take care.........God bless...........Bob
That was an awsome post, well said. When I look back at this past year or so,
and think about how far we've come through all of the ups and downs we've shared it brings a smile to my face. I'm so glad we've become feiends, you've been a big help to me in my recovery. Sometimes reading what you say to others or don't say even, it helps me. I can see your growth too. I've seen posts here, and knowing you as I do I know you've bit your tongue and decided not to reply at times, and thats what I mean when I say what you don't say helps me too. Congratulations on your 17 months, sorry for being 2 days late on that.
But I wanted you to know I remembered and was thinking of you. I love ya'. As far as the steps go, I can say I honestly enjoy what I've done so far. Getting to really know myself and learning that I'm not alone, that I'm not the only one that thought or felt the way I did and do, or did some of the things I've done to me is a comforting feeling. When I did my 5th step, although I didn't have that spiritual experience I've heard that others have had, I did feel good during and after it was done, and felt very satisfied and relieved. It was a load lifted and a great feeling getting honest and just pouring my thoughts and fears out. I had such anxiety over doing my 4th and 5th but it ended up for me being a positive experience.
Anyway, I love the steps, for me it isn't so much hard work, it's more like a necessary journey that I'm enjoying taking part in.
Take care.........God bless...........Bob
your welcomed sharon. and thank you for what you added...some simple suggestions that i had heard over and over. took me quite a few 24 hours of heartache and pain before i became willing to work it. there appeared to be some confusion in a previous thread about the "good things" that begin happening to us, once we get clean - hence, my post. i'll elaborate a bit a little further.
mike - it helped me a lot when i could see the principles associated with each step. step 12 tells us: having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to prescription drug addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. inmho, the steps are designed to break down the ego driven self that i was once consumed with and replacing that fear based ego with one centered in the goodness of our HP. page 27 of the big book tells us: ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them. these new "ideas, emotions, and attitudes" mike come as a result of working the steps. this program of recovery (12-steps) is a spirtual program. it's not medical, physical, or emotional counseling; however, the big book goes on to promise us when the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
bob has posted here the promises of this spiritual program many, many times before and if i may, would like to re-post some of what he has shared. ...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 not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. we will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. no matter how
far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. that feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. we will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. self-seeking will slip away. our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. we will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
this phrase...fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us...is promised to us as a result of working the steps, not a result of the balance in our checkbooks. danny so aptly pointed in another thread how in one "poof" something outside of our control, i.e. a devastating illness, can wipe out our financial resources in the blink of an eye. the miracle here is if we should find ourselves in this place how would we handle it? would we have the faith and courage to walk through this with humility and trust in our HP if this should happen? and conversely what if we find ourselves on the opposite end (economically speaking) - would we still find ourselves able to walk through life with the humility and trust in our HP that is necessary for our spirit to continue to awake?
oh well - just a few thoughts on this splendid sunday morning. hey sharon, gina, and bob - congratulations to you on your recovery time! i hope your day is blessed with serenity and love.
namaste'
sammy
mike - it helped me a lot when i could see the principles associated with each step. step 12 tells us: having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to prescription drug addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. inmho, the steps are designed to break down the ego driven self that i was once consumed with and replacing that fear based ego with one centered in the goodness of our HP. page 27 of the big book tells us: ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them. these new "ideas, emotions, and attitudes" mike come as a result of working the steps. this program of recovery (12-steps) is a spirtual program. it's not medical, physical, or emotional counseling; however, the big book goes on to promise us when the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.
bob has posted here the promises of this spiritual program many, many times before and if i may, would like to re-post some of what he has shared. ...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 not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. we will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. no matter how
far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. that feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. we will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. self-seeking will slip away. our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. we will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
this phrase...fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us...is promised to us as a result of working the steps, not a result of the balance in our checkbooks. danny so aptly pointed in another thread how in one "poof" something outside of our control, i.e. a devastating illness, can wipe out our financial resources in the blink of an eye. the miracle here is if we should find ourselves in this place how would we handle it? would we have the faith and courage to walk through this with humility and trust in our HP if this should happen? and conversely what if we find ourselves on the opposite end (economically speaking) - would we still find ourselves able to walk through life with the humility and trust in our HP that is necessary for our spirit to continue to awake?
oh well - just a few thoughts on this splendid sunday morning. hey sharon, gina, and bob - congratulations to you on your recovery time! i hope your day is blessed with serenity and love.
namaste'
sammy
Sammy,
You know--I woke up today and it is Sunday, The weather is kinda the same outside, but yet I fell a difference in last week and this week. The difference is last Sunday I took my will back for 1 day, and did not live by gods will..I have said from my first day at this---I can not do this with the help of something or someone.
I think along with other things, something that I was lazy in was working the steps. I know that I can not move onto a new step untill I am sure I understand it- and I also I have to know that I fully understand the step I am on. Your breakdown is a great help for me.
Today I woke up, and felt the air blowing when I went out on my deck-I could hear the birds I see the clouds and the sun. Last Sunday I was laying in bed eating those lousy 10 pills, in a dark hole, thinking dark thoughts--I pray to god to keep me from that visitng that place ever day. When I stopped using last Sept, I wanted to remember how sick I felt--this time I was not sick---But my mind was lost---Now I want to remember just how low those pills took me and that I might not make it back next time.
Thanks so much,
Mike
You know--I woke up today and it is Sunday, The weather is kinda the same outside, but yet I fell a difference in last week and this week. The difference is last Sunday I took my will back for 1 day, and did not live by gods will..I have said from my first day at this---I can not do this with the help of something or someone.
I think along with other things, something that I was lazy in was working the steps. I know that I can not move onto a new step untill I am sure I understand it- and I also I have to know that I fully understand the step I am on. Your breakdown is a great help for me.
Today I woke up, and felt the air blowing when I went out on my deck-I could hear the birds I see the clouds and the sun. Last Sunday I was laying in bed eating those lousy 10 pills, in a dark hole, thinking dark thoughts--I pray to god to keep me from that visitng that place ever day. When I stopped using last Sept, I wanted to remember how sick I felt--this time I was not sick---But my mind was lost---Now I want to remember just how low those pills took me and that I might not make it back next time.
Thanks so much,
Mike
