The Steps.. what have they done for you?

[neversickanymore]

This thread is to share your experiences with the steps.. Do it how you want, step by step, thoughts after completing a step or all of them, how they changed your addiction, how they changed your life.

 

[neversickanymore]

Online BIG BOOK Here
NA white book can be found here

These are the original twelve steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous

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 alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

 

[Serotonin101]

AA steps *cringe* gotta respect the parent fellowship lol

well let's see here:
step 1- I came to terms I'm a fucking addict and can't moderate my drug usage. plain and simple really. basically I had to stop getting high for my life to get any better.
step 2- had to realize that with me running my life I'd run it straight into the ground time and time again. had to find something greater than me whatever that meant as an atheist. I found "It" and believed it could help me.
step 3- decided to allow "It" to take control of my life so shit can start getting better. my best intentions lead me to the rooms so obviously something greater than me needs to work in my life to get better.
step 4- I found out exactly who I am and what all I did in the past. self recognition at its finest.
step 5- need to tell someone (my sponsor) all the shit I did and figure out why I did all the shit I did.
step 6- find out what makes me fucked up and become ready to get better through the grace of my higher power.

that's as far as I've gotten in step work. will update in the future.

basically so far I'm no longer the piece of shit I used to be and just a freckle of a turd now you know? getting a little better every day I try to be better. everyday is a lesson or a blessing. just need to continue working on myself.

 

[ad lib]

Aw you guys are so inspiring

Perhaps I missed it, but do you mind if I ask who/what everyone's higher power is?

 

[Serotonin101]

the universe collectively is the board concept of it, but I call mine Fate, as in what should happen, will happen.

 

[neversickanymore]

Seron, I know the first time I did the steps, I totally thought I had step one.. yeah, the step working guide sixty some questions and i'm powerless and on two number two.. yeah.. this last time I really got it and any reminiscent of sham and guilt over my use went out the window when i did that step.. hardest step to really get IMO..

 

[Serotonin101]

step 1 is the only one you gotta do perfectly to stay clean really. but the first three are the "hardest" in that you can't really muscle through it. rather, those steps work you instead of you working them. the rest you can force to happen pretty much aside from 11 and 12. 6 and 7 are a bit difficult as that means you gotta become willing to become a better person :/ and to think, when I started step 6, some of my character defects/short comings I listed previously as "assets" in step 4 lol.

 

[THECATINTHEHAT]

Struggling with step one atm ffs.

I understand it and could wax lyrical on what it means but I'm fucked if I can admit to my 'innermost self' what I am. Extremely painful.

 

[Mehm]

The steps are in line with many classical spiritual practices in that they encourage a person to let go and accept the fact that God ultimately runs your life.

In Qui Gong, the concept is that that Qui is everything whether we like it or not. To that end, the human mind is capable of directing Qui. The same is true with the steps. If we are a sail boat and God is the sea and the wind, we can adjust the sails and turn the rudder, but we can't control the storms or the calms.

I don't have to drink today. I can decide to trim the sails a bit. Will I stay sober for the rest of my stay on this ocean? Its not important because I don't have a bag in my pocket right now.

 

[Stevenski]

I have had addiction problems with alcohol & drugs but nothing broke me the way gambling did. Gambling led me to the 12 step community & helped me regain my life. I have not done all the steps but have done them all in one form or another & for various manifestations of my addictions.

1 We admitted we were powerless over gambling - that our lives had become unmanageable. This is the single most important step in my opinion. I had to admit that I was completely out of control & powerless over my gambling. My lifestyle left my life unmanageable in the extreme.
2 Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to a normal way of thinking & living Admission I was not god nor was I the centre of the universe. The universe is my higher power. Something created it all so I call it god but it is something I cannot comprehend, therefore I don't concern myself with it. I just need to remember that there is more powerful forces than myself out there & that is it.

Those are the two most important realisations I had in GA. Steps 3-11 I am not bothered by provided I live my life according to my moral code all is good. I make amends where I can & look at myself daily to see how I am faring as an ethical human being.

12 Having made an effort tom practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried tocarry this message to other compulsive gamblers Practising the principals is what appeals to me most of all. I read it as practise to the best of my ability the principals. A really great example was at my 2nd meeting I met a guy whose car blew up on his way there (it was his first). Turned out he lived not far from me & I gave him a lift to a few meetings while he was having it repaired. When I lost my license this same guy drove me to three meetings a week for three months. He also became a very good friend for several years & we shared a lot of our early recovery together.

I am no longer involved in 12 step fellowship but that is because I moved city & believe that sharing experience, strength & hope is way more important that reading the little book cover to cover in each meeting. I would not be where I am today if I did not practise the three steps I have highlighted it is that simple. Still keep my just for today book in the car & it is good to read todays page occasionally.

step 1 is the only one you gotta do perfectly to stay clean really. but the first three are the "hardest" in that you can't really muscle through it. rather, those steps work you instead of you working them. the rest you can force to happen pretty much aside from 11 and 12. 6 and 7 are a bit difficult as that means you gotta become willing to become a better person :/ and to think, when I started step 6, some of my character defects/short comings I listed previously as "assets" in step 4 lol.

Nice post. Took me 18 months to do step one & two properly & it is something that can't be rushed.

Struggling with step one atm ffs.

I understand it and could wax lyrical on what it means but I'm fucked if I can admit to my 'innermost self' what I am. Extremely painful.

Omen it is so painful but things that are worthwhile are difficult & painful.

 

[aliencowstorm]

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

In AA I found that these first three steps were harder than I could imagine. It's more from I 'thought' I got them, but it took me years to actually 'get it'. I started in AA back in 2006, had a lot of sober time, but would fall down every other year for like a weekend. Coupled with the pills and then the addiction to those pills, it really took hold late in 2012 for me to really understand those first three steps.

I will continue to work those steps as I do a 10th step as often as I can (I'd love to say I do it daily, but that would be a lie).

 

[Cadamec]

Was sober for 25 years. Treatment, halfway house, 12 steps, etc..

Got cancer and had to do chemo. Marijuana was a blessing. It gave me some Euphoria, an appetite, and took my mind off how shitty life was for that year.

I beat Cancer.

I continued to smoke for the next couple of years on a daily basis with a few sabbaticals to lower the tolerance and get a little motivation going. I consider my continued use as not being "medicine" and do not claim sobriety now.

I have chronic neck pain and use opiates for pain, not partying. My PM doc piss tested me for opiate levels recently and has been switching my meds to extended release types. Have currently not smoked for 2 months till I know that MJ is not an issue with my doc. I will not fuck up my relationship with the docs for the meds I need for real pain just to get high.

Additionally, Sativas makes me anxious and I am not in a region where I can just go to the dispensary and get some indica which is calming and relaxing to my neck and back. When I do find some indica based weed again, I damn sure will smoke.

When I was 19, I abused the shit out of everything. I am not the same person that I was when I was 19 and don't use for the same reasons.

I am glad I got sober and was lucky enough to "get it". The steps are simple. I made them harder than they needed to be. It is a set of tools to handle life on life's terms without drugs or alcohol. I can take it or leave it when it comes to partying now. The only drug I party with is weed. I find it amusing and beneficial when I can get the kind I like.

I don't know if other methods would have worked for me at 19 to get sober. It worked for me and I have no regrets or anything bad to say about 12 step programs and 12 step treatment centers. I believe that long term treatment away from my hometown increased my odds of success.

Some people say it is brainwashing. If so, my brain needed washing.

good luck to any and all who are trying to get clean.

 

[Serotonin101]

Just finished my forth and fifth step again. Was a great experience and freeing to get all that shit out. My past doesn't weigh me down as much as it used to. Gonna write a bit and read some literature pertaining to my higher power.