"We admitted we were powerless over our addiction—that our lives had become unmanageable."
What does "powerlessness" mean to you in your own words?
Describe specific examples of times when you tried to control your addiction and failed.
In what ways has your life become unmanageable? Consider: relationships, finances, work, health, legal issues, self-respect.
What lies did you tell yourself about your ability to control your addiction?
What are you afraid will happen if you fully admit your powerlessness?
How does accepting powerlessness actually give you freedom rather than take it away?
Step 1 Affirmation
"I accept that I cannot control my addiction. By admitting my powerlessness, I open the door to a new way of living."
"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."
What does "sanity" mean to you? What would a sane, healthy life look like?
Describe examples of insane thinking or behavior related to your addiction.
What is your current understanding of a "Power greater than yourself"? This doesn't have to be religious.
What barriers do you have to believing in something greater than yourself?
Have you seen recovery work for others? What evidence gives you hope?
What would it take for you to be willing to believe? What small step can you take toward hope?
Step 2 Affirmation
"I am open to the possibility that help exists beyond my own limited understanding. Hope is the foundation of my recovery."
"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him."
What does "turning it over" mean to you? What are you being asked to let go of?
What areas of your life are you most resistant to letting go of control?
How has self-will (running the show yourself) contributed to your problems?
What do you fear about letting go of control? What's the worst that could happen?
How do you understand "God as we understood Him"? What does your Higher Power look like?
What daily practices can help you turn things over? How will you remember to let go?
Third Step Prayer
"God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!"
"Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves."
What does a "moral inventory" mean to you? Why is it described as "fearless"?
What fears do you have about doing this inventory? What might you be afraid to uncover?
List people, institutions, or principles you resent. For each, identify what happened, which part of self was threatened (self-esteem, security, relationships, sex relations), and your part in the situation.
List your major resentments and work through each one:
Use a separate sheet if needed. Be thorough and honest.
List your fears and examine where they come from:
Where have you been selfish, dishonest, or inconsiderate in relationships?
What are your positive qualities, strengths, and values?
Step 4 Affirmation
"I have the courage to look honestly at myself. This inventory is not about judgment—it's about freedom."
"Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs."
Why is it important to share your inventory with another person, not just God or yourself?
What fears do you have about sharing your inventory? What are you most reluctant to reveal?
Who have you chosen to hear your Fifth Step? Why did you choose this person?
How did you feel after sharing your inventory? What was the experience like?
What patterns or themes did you or your listener identify in your inventory?
Did anything come up that you missed in your Fourth Step? Add any additional items here:
Step 5 Affirmation
"I am no longer alone with my secrets. By bringing my wrongs into the light, I begin to be free of them."
"Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."
What character defects did you identify in Steps 4 and 5? List them here:
What does "entirely ready" mean to you? Why might we be reluctant to let go of our defects?
For each defect, consider: How has this defect served me? What would I lose by letting it go?
Which defects are you most attached to? Which are hardest to imagine living without?
What would your life look like without these defects? What positive qualities would replace them?
Are you willing to ask God/Higher Power to remove your defects? What would it take to become willing?
Step 6 Affirmation
"I am willing to let go of the parts of myself that keep me sick. I trust that something better will take their place."
"Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."
What does "humility" mean to you? How is it different from humiliation?
Why do we need to "ask" for our shortcomings to be removed rather than just trying harder ourselves?
How do you feel about asking your Higher Power for help? What comes up for you?
Write out your Seventh Step prayer or request in your own words:
What does "letting go" of a shortcoming look like in practice? Give an example.
What role do you play in the removal of your defects? What's your responsibility after asking?
Seventh Step Prayer
"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. Amen."
"Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."
What does it mean to "harm" someone? Consider physical, emotional, financial, and spiritual harm.
Why is it important to become "willing" before actually making amends?
List everyone you have harmed and what you did. Be thorough—don't leave anyone off because you're afraid or don't know how to make amends. Your sponsor will help you work through the "how."
My Amends List (Person | What I Did | Am I Willing?):
Include family, friends, employers, institutions, and yourself.
Direct Amends - People I can approach directly:
Indirect Amends - People I cannot approach directly (deceased, dangerous, etc.):
Living Amends - Situations requiring ongoing changed behavior:
Step 8 Affirmation
"I acknowledge the harm I have caused. I am willing to take responsibility and make things right, one person at a time."
"Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."
What is the difference between an amend and an apology?
What does "except when to do so would injure them or others" mean? Give examples.
What fears do you have about making amends? What's the worst that could happen?
Track your amends as you make them. Work with your sponsor on timing and approach for each one.
Amends Made (Person | Date | What I Said/Did | Their Response | How I Felt):
What has the experience of making amends taught you? How are you changing?
Are there amends you're avoiding? What's holding you back?
The 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..."
"Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."
Why is ongoing inventory important? What happens if we stop being self-aware?
What does "promptly admitted it" mean to you? Why is promptness important?
Describe your daily inventory practice. What does it look like?
What questions do you ask yourself in your daily inventory?
How do you handle it when you realize you've been wrong? Give a recent example.
Spot-Check Inventory: How do you pause during the day when disturbed?
Step 10 Affirmation
"I stay awake to my thoughts and actions. When I make mistakes, I correct them quickly. Progress, not perfection."
"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."
What is your current understanding of prayer? What does it mean to you?
What is your current understanding of meditation? What does it mean to you?
What does "conscious contact" with your Higher Power feel like? How do you know you have it?
What is your morning routine? How do you start your day spiritually?
What is your evening routine? How do you end your day?
What forms of meditation or prayer have you tried? Which resonate with you?
Eleventh Step Prayer
"Lord, make me a channel of thy peace—that where there is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is discord, I may bring harmony..."
"Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."
What has your spiritual awakening looked like? How are you different now than when you started?
What is "the message" that you carry? How would you summarize it?
What does it mean to "practice these principles in all our affairs"?
How are you currently carrying the message? List your service commitments:
What opportunities for service are available to you that you haven't explored yet?
How do you practice attraction rather than promotion? What does your recovery look like to others?
Step 12 Affirmation
"I have experienced a spiritual awakening. My purpose now is to carry this message to others and to live by these principles every day. Recovery is not something I have—it's something I do."