A brief explanation of how the 12 step program of AA works.

[likerdup1]

Anyone curious about how the 12 step program of AA works might find this article interesting. It is a brief to the point article explaining how the program of AA works. (it does not describe the fellowship of AA and it's meetings)

 

https://neweraspiritual.blogspot.com/2014/02/alcoholics-anonymous-explained.html

 

Very brief explanation:

1) People with alcoholism as described in the Alcoholics Anonymous book lack the willpower or self-discipline to quit entirely even though they honestly want to.

 

2) AA discovered (through help from the great Dr. Carl Jung) that if an alcoholic could achieve a spiritual awakening that brings about a complete physic change an alcoholic could recover from alcoholism and achieve permanent abstinence.

 

3) Back in the 1930's AA founders discovered a method to bring about a spiritual awakening which they published in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous". This method contains 12 instructions commonly referred to as the 12 steps. The program of AA is the 12 steps as found in the book "Alcoholics Anonymous".

 

For further information please visit https://aa.org

 

Hoping to help anyone who wants help with a drinking problem.

 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by likerdup1

[likerdup1]

Anyone looking for help with a drinking problem feel free to DM me here. I am sober 30 years using the AA 12 step program.

[Neeranam]

On 4/13/2023 at 8:01 AM, likerdup1 said:

1) People with alcoholism as described in the Alcoholics Anonymous book lack the willpower or self-discipline to quit entirely even though they honestly want to.

 Willpower is of no use if you are an alcoholic. It is a disease. 

[likerdup1]

On 8/22/2023 at 8:58 PM, Neeranam said:

 Willpower is of no use if you are an alcoholic. It is a disease. 

Yes, real alcoholics as described in the AA book are powerless to abstain completely even though they may honestly want to. Will power does not work to achieve moderation or complete abstinence. They will suffer from the insanity of the first drink over and over again unless the alcoholism is treated. And as most all real alcoholics know - abstinence does not treat alcoholism. Fortunately the spiritual program of AA treats alcoholism for those who are willing to follow the directions in all of the AA 12 steps.

 

Anybody with questions about AA please feel free to DM me here on the board. See other posts for information about AA meetings online or in person.

Edited August 25, 2023 by likerdup1

[ding]

Thanks for this! Hope it plants a seed. I always keep in mind that things written by humans are written by humans. ???? 

"Take what you need and leave the rest" applies to even the best, but I always try to take what I might need and stuff it in my open mind. Cheers.

[likerdup1]

14 hours ago, ding said:

Thanks for this! Hope it plants a seed. I always keep in mind that things written by humans are written by humans. ???? 

"Take what you need and leave the rest" applies to even the best, but I always try to take what I might need and stuff it in my open mind. Cheers.

You're welcome! thank you for your comment.

 

Fortunately for alcoholics looking for a way to recover, a human named Bill Wilson wrote a book called Alcoholics Anonymous in an effort to precisely communicate to the world how he and about one hundred alcoholics recovered from alcoholism. On it's pages are a wonderfully simple and practical program of action which when followed gives recovery from alcoholism. (The 12 steps)

 

My choice to finally take all of The program steps, even though I didn't like some of the work or found it difficult at times, gave me recovery. My experience is doing what I thought I needed to didn't work to get recovery from alcoholism.. I had to start following all of the 12 step directions even though I thought I didn't need to and didn't want to at times. It was then that I got recovery from alcoholism and all my skepticism, best thinking and ideas were proved wrong. I found out through trial and error that what I had thought I needed was just me trying to get sober my way and as a result I kept relapsing. Following my own ideas (taking what I thought I needed) didn't work. I found out the hard way I needed to do all of the 12 steps of the AA program.

 

Forever grateful to Bill Wilson and the founding AA members for taking the time to write the two books that contain the AA program. The Book Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions book.

 

Edited September 3, 2023 by likerdup1

[JessieDog]

AA is the most powerful and spiritual experience I have known. 
 

4 years without a drink now using the AA programme. 
 

Its a life saver at times. 
 

If you think you have a problem with alcohol it will do you no harm to give aa a few hours of your time. 
 

You can step back over the line with alcohol we don’t lock you up your free to leave anytime. 

 

Thanks AA 

[ding]

Worth emphasizing that AA is not a religious program.

 

As for the "higher power" concept and agnostics, atheists, or anyone like I was;

I like the idea of going to the mirror and making it anything you don't see looking back. Make that decision and proceed to Step 4.

 

Easy does it but do it.

[likerdup1]

58 minutes ago, ding said:

Worth emphasizing that AA is not a religious program.

 

As for the "higher power" concept and agnostics, atheists, or anyone like I was;

I like the idea of going to the mirror and making it anything you don't see looking back. Make that decision and proceed to Step 4.

 

Easy does it but do it.

Good approach. Simple and effective. whatever a higher may be it surely can't be you!!

ABC's say.

 

b) probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.

I'm human, you are human

 

Steps 2 and 3 are as not as hard as some people make them out to be, usually people who look at the step summaries on the wall and don't study the instructions in the Big Book.

 

 I usually tell my sponsees who consider themselves atheists or agnostics to ask themselves this question.

"Do you think that all the people in AA who have done the steps and have come to know a Higher Power of their own understanding that has kept them sober and given them recovery are lying?" Are they all having some mass hallucination or delusion? Most reasonable people who are agnostic or atheist will understand that perhaps their ideas about God or spirituality may be wrong and become even willing to believe they can get help just like the many others in the fellowship. Once they become even willing they have done Step 2. Those who continue to balk at this step I'll tell I can't help them. It's a necessary step in order to prepare to embark on seeking help from a Higher Power.

 

c) God could and would if he were sought

 

Step 2 - are you even willing to believe a Higher Power can help you? - do you think you can get recovery like others in AA who have done the steps and now feel a Higher Power helping them? Why would your case be any different?

 

Step 3 - make a decision to seek a Higher Power (what ever your understanding or lack of understanding is) by doing the rest of the steps.. To demonstrate you have made the decision take the action of now doing step 4 and the rest up to step 9. During step 9 start doing step 10 and 11.

 

Easy when one studies the program from the literature. Unfortunately one of the best kept secrets in the FELLOWSHIP is that the program is in less than 150 pages. The Big Book and Twelve and Twelve essays is where the program of AA is. The program is the 12 steps. nothing more, nothing less. One does not do their "own program" (this comes from other A fellowships) In AA we do one program. The 12steps of AA.

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by likerdup1

[likerdup1]

On 11/15/2023 at 12:13 PM, ding said:

Worth emphasizing that AA is not a religious program.

 

As for the "higher power" concept and agnostics, atheists, or anyone like I was;

I like the idea of going to the mirror and making it anything you don't see looking back. Make that decision and proceed to Step 4.

 

Easy does it but do it.

Absolutely not a religious program but spiritual and ones own concept of a Higher Power. Very progressive for some old Americans back in 1939

[StandardIssue]

I think I might be alcoholic, I want to go to an AA meeting and am curious about what you write. What are my options in Thailand. I am too shy to go to one of those church meetings. What can I do?

[Yellowtail]

21 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

I think I might be alcoholic, I want to go to an AA meeting and am curious about what you write. What are my options in Thailand. I am too shy to go to one of those church meetings. What can I do?

If you think you might be an alcoholic, you probably are. It is not something non-alcoholics generally worry about. 

 

Where are you? The link below should help find a meeting. 

Meetings (aathailand.org)

 

Good luck! Let me know where you decide to go, maybe I'll see you there. 

[StandardIssue]

7 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

If you think you might be an alcoholic, you probably are. It is not something non-alcoholics generally worry about. 

 

Where are you? The link below should help find a meeting. 

Meetings (aathailand.org)

 

Good luck! Let me know where you decide to go, maybe I'll see you there. 

 

What do you mean if I think I'm an alcoholic I probably am? Does AA talk about what an alcoholic is and is not? I don't want to go in person. I might know people there. I'm a very private person.

[Yellowtail]

7 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

What do you mean if I think I'm an alcoholic I probably am?

Again, non-alcoholics generally do not worry that they are alcoholics. 

7 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

Does AA talk about what an alcoholic is and is not?

Yes, but only you can decide if you are.

 

From chapter three: "We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking."

 

7 minutes ago, StandardIssue said:

I don't want to go in person. I might know people there. I'm a very private person.

The only people you might know there are other alcoholics.  

[StandardIssue]

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Again, non-alcoholics generally do not worry that they are alcoholics. 

 

Where do you get this stuff? How do you know non-alcoholics don't worry that they are alcoholics? Are you a doctor?

 

I'll bet there are also a lot of alcoholics that don't think they are alcoholics. Is this from the AA book I've been seeing on the web site? Sounds like double talk to me. I need someone to make sense. I think I might have a problem and need some real help.

Edited January 10 by StandardIssue

[StandardIssue]

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

 

 

The only people you might know there are other alcoholics.  

I see there are things called open meetings. How do you know that all the other people there are all alcoholics? Maybe they are just like me checking it out and not sure. I need someone to make sense to me here. How about online meetings? you go to those at all? 

[Yellowtail]

5 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

Where do you get this stuff? How do you know non-alcoholics don't worry that they are alcoholics? Are you a doctor?

I said generally, and I'm an alcoholic, not a doctor.

5 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

I'll bet there are also a lot of alcoholics that don't think they are alcoholics. Is this from the AA book I've been seeing on the web site? Sounds like double talk to me. I need someone to make sense. I think I might have a problem and need some real help.

Yes, there are a lot of alcoholics that don't think they are alcoholics. I did not think I was an alcoholic until I got sober. 

[Yellowtail]

5 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

I see there are things called open meetings. How do you know that all the other people there are all alcoholics? Maybe they are just like me checking it out and not sure. I need someone to make sense to me here. How about online meetings? you go to those at all? 

Why would someone without a drinking problem want to check out an AA meeting?

 

I have participated in online meetings, yes. 

[StandardIssue]

On 1/11/2024 at 7:26 AM, Yellowtail said:

Why would someone without a drinking problem want to check out an AA meeting?

 

I have participated in online meetings, yes. 

I am getting the help I want. I've been told something important. People with drinking problems are not necessarily alcoholic. They told me that people with drinking problems who can stop on their own are not alcoholics. Alcoholics are people with a drinking problem, try to stop and then cannot on their own. I think I might qualify. But it's not necessarily because I only have a drinking problem. It's because I tried to stop but could not do it for every long on my own.

[Yellowtail]

3 hours ago, StandardIssue said:

I am getting the help I want. I've been told something important. People with drinking problems are not necessarily alcoholic. They told me that people with drinking problems who can stop on their own are not alcoholics. Alcoholics are people with a drinking problem, try to stop and then cannot on their own. I think I might qualify. But it's not necessarily because I only have a drinking problem. It's because I tried to stop but could not do it for every long on my own.

It's great that you're getting the help you want, I hope it's the help you need. 

[StandardIssue]

On 1/13/2024 at 5:55 AM, Yellowtail said:

It's great that you're getting the help you want, I hope it's the help you need. 

 Respectfully, this sounds condescending. 

 

I'm finding the help that I want and need is in the AA book. I found a sponsor who uses the AA book to take me through the steps. Now I'm starting to understand what is and is not AA when people speak in meetings. 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, StandardIssue said:

 Respectfully, this sounds condescending. 

 

I'm finding the help that I want and need is in the AA book. I found a sponsor who uses the AA book to take me through the steps. Now I'm starting to understand what is and is not AA when people speak in meetings. 

It's nice you're going to meetings. Are you going to the RoundUp next month? 

[StandardIssue]

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

It's nice you're going to meetings. Are you going to the RoundUp next month? 

What's even better is that my sponsor explained to me that the fellowship meetings will not give me recovery from alcoholism. He told me he drank again by only going to meetings. So we are talking 30 min everyday and studying how to do the steps in the AA book and I just did step 2.

 

I heard about the Roundup but my focus is on recovering from alcoholism now. Not socializing in the fellowship. My sponsor explained that meetings are nice but not required for recovery. I go to some meetings sure, but meeting with my sponsor has been the focus. Doing the 12 steps is my focus now. 

 

When I do go to meetings I hear very little about what I'm studying with my sponsor. I told him about this and he said it's normal. Very few people study the AA book. I'm looking for a Big Book solution based AA meeting. Someone told me aathailand.info has a good meeting.

Edited January 20 by StandardIssue

[Yellowtail]

My favorite line from any AA speaker is: "Lack of Knowledge is not my Dilemma."

 

So, what step are you on now? 

[StandardIssue]

On 1/21/2024 at 7:59 AM, Yellowtail said:

My favorite line from any AA speaker is: "Lack of Knowledge is not my Dilemma."

 

So, what step are you on now? 

Respectfully, I have no idea what you are talking about and it's my business what step I am on. I've been looking for help here and trying to get recovery from alcoholism. My advice to you is, if you wish to help people here, that you not communicate in riddles.

Edited January 23 by StandardIssue