We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
Admitted to an illness which is chronic – and gets progressively worse over time.
Powerless: lack of ability to control use of the substance on a continual basis.
Unmanageable – negative consequences to our lives and the lives of our loved ones, as a direct result of our addiction.

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Came = arrived
Came to = woke up
Came to believe = over time we woke up our spirituality.
A higher Power of our own understanding and choice.
Restore us to sanity: by using the twelve steps we can take responsibility for our own lives.

Make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
We made a conscious decision to ‘do the right thing’ and make right choices for our recovery.
God = Our understanding of a power greater than ourselves from who/where we can depend on Good Orderly Direction.

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
A journey to discover the truth about ourselves.
We take an honest and open look at ourselves, behaviours, attitudes and beliefs in addiction.
The alcoholics’ anonymous big book indicates that this should be in written format and gives us an example of how to do so on pg 59.

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Admitted – owned up and accepted who we had become in addiction.
How are you comfortable admitting something to your Higher Power?
Why is it important share the exact nature of our wrongs with another person?

Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
In step five we become aware of our defects of character or as the big book states ‘flaws in our character’
Step six asks that now we are aware of them, we need to become entirely ready to let them go and change.

Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Ask our higher power to help us let go of old habits, behaviours and attitudes that are preventing us from achieving peace of mind.

Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
List of all the people we had hurt in our addiction
Over time we became willing to repair the damage we had done through our own actions in addiction.

Made direct amends to such people whenever possible, expect when to do so would injure them or others.
Made face to face amends to others affected by our addiction.
The exception to that is when the amends will only hurt the other person.

Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Continued = daily inventory
We look at our own behaviours and attitudes throughout the day and watch for relapse warning signs.
Promptly admitted it: don’t leave it too long – it only builds up into something bigger.

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.
Pray: Communicate in your own language
Meditate: Take quiet time out to reflect and chat with your higher power. Walk, nature, silence,
How do you meditate?

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principals in all our affairs.
A spiritual awakening is a guarantee of the twelve steps.
Carry the message – helping others in recovery, set up the A.A. room, tidy up, share honestly,
Practice these principals in all our affairs – the forgotten part of step twelve.
Honesty
Humility
Faith
Integrity
Acceptance