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The 12 & 12 contains summaries at the end of each step, which
briefly give perspective or reveal benefits we can expect. These are
somewhat like the Big Book Promises.
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Step One:
"Under the lash of alcoholism, we are driven to A.A., and there we discover the
fatal nature of our situation. Then, and only then, do we become as open-minded
to conviction and as willing to listen as the dying can be. We stand ready to
do anything which will lift the merciless obsession from us."
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Step Two:
"Therefore, Step Two is the rallying point for all of us. Whether agnostic,
atheist, or former believer, we can stand together on this Step. True humility
and an open mind can lead us to faith, and every A.A, meeting is an assurance
that God will restore us to sanity if we rightly relate ourselves to Him."
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Step Three:
“Our whole problem had been the misuse of willpower. We had tried to
bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into
agreement with God’s intention for us. To make this increasingly
possible is the purpose of A.A.’s Twelve Steps, and Step Three opens the
door.”
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Step Four:
"Therefore, thoroughness ought to be the watchword when taking inventory. In
this connection, it is wise to write out our questions and answers. It will be
an aid to clear thinking and honest appraisal. It will be the first tangible
evidence of our complete willingness to move forward."
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Step Five:
"This feeling of being at one with God and man, this emerging from isolation
through the open and honest sharing of our terrible burden of guilt, brings us
to a resting place where we may prepare ourselves for the following Steps
toward a full and meaningful sobriety.
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Step Six:
"This is the exact point at
which we abandon limited objectives, and move toward God's will for us."
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Step Seven:
"The Seventh Step is where we make the change in our attitude which permits us,
with humility as our guide, to move out from ourselves toward others and toward
God."
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Step Eight:
"Whenever our pencil falters, we can fortify and cheer ourselves by remembering
what A.A. experience in this Step has meant to others. It is the beginning of
the end of isolation from our fellows and from God.
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Step Nine:
"For the readiness to take the full consequences of our
past acts, and to take responsibility for the well-being of others at the same
time, is the very spirit of Step Nine."
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Step Ten:
"An honest regret for harms done, a genuine gratitude for blessings received, and a
willingness to try for better things tomorrow will be the permanent assets we
shall seek."
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Step Eleven
"Perhaps one of the greatest rewards of meditation and prayer is the sense of
belonging that comes to us. We no longer live in a completely hostile
world. We are no longer lost and frightened and purposeless. The moment we
catch even a glimpse of God's will, the moment we begin to see truth, justice,
and love as the real and eternal things in life, we are no longer deeply
disturbed by all the seeming evidence to the contrary that surrounds us in
purely human affairs. We know that God lovingly watches over us. We know that
when we turn to Him, all will be well with us, here and hereafter."
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Step Twelve:
"The joy of living is the theme of A.A.'s Twelfth Step, and action is its key
word. Here we turn outward toward our fellow alcoholics who are still in
distress. Here we experience the kind of giving that asks no rewards. Here we
begin to practice all Twelve Steps of the program in our daily lives so that we
and those about us may find emotional sobriety. When the Twelfth Step is seen
in its full implication, it is really talking about the kind of love that has
no price tag on it."
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