Twelve Steps

I went to an Al-Anon meeting for the first time in my life for a paper that I need to write on chemical dependency. I'm struck by the irony of it. I am surrounded by alcoholics, and addiction has played a huge role in my life, but the first time I go to a meeting it is for research for a paper. Someone in the meeting asked why Al-Anon is not more well-known. The leader of the meeting answered that usually those who are most affected by alcohol and addiction try to handle everything on their own. As a rule, children and partners of those dealing with addiction have trouble asking for help. Sound like anyone familiar? The woman also said it's a bit more complex, after all, we don't hold a bottle in our hands and there are no courts forcing us to get treatment.

Lisa went with me to the meeting. It was nice to have her there and she gave me looks of complete knowing when people spoke of expecting others to do things to the perfecting standards that they hold for themselves. In truth, I saw a lot of similarities in the stories shared, including my own. But I'm not sure it's right for me. The meeting was very long, and the rules and procedures took up a large part of the meeting.

It is an interesting idea to go through the twelve steps on my own. The first is admitting that we are powerless over alcohol- that our lives have become unmanageable. When I looked for the 12 steps, I found that they were written in past tense. I found that intriguing. I think it will take time for me to get through the first one.

1.
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives had become unmanageable.
2.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
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.
12.
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.