how do AA 12 steps compare to others? (OA, ACOA..)
mary said
Dec 19, 2004
Hello, I'm back again. Hearing you guys speak so highly of working the steps and going to a meeting, I've thought I could benefit from that. I have worked the steps with a sponsor through OA (Overeaters Anonymous) and Alanon for Sex and Love Addicts (my exhusband s/l addict). I've really loved the steps when I've worked them. My question is this. Would working the steps through AA, with my drinking as the focus, make the steps different for me? Thanks, Mary
Phil said
Dec 19, 2004
Good morning Mary. And would working the steps re alcohol be different? Well--, that was my main addiction, and these 12 steps daily are a life line for most of us, in AA.
The Founders of AA created these 12 steps. The steps, in turn were borrowed and used by the other groups, as they are today.
The BIG BOOK of Alcoholics Anonymous is our Bible.
The 12 steps are steps to a new way of living without alcohol.
We admitted were powerless over alcohol and our lives became unmanagable.
Ive used these 12 steps to quit smoking. I also go to Alanon. I guess to me--its just wearing a different hat.:)
Have also found that Im powerless over a lot of things, situations, and people.
The steps work if we work them, for any addiction. Guides to living, one day at a time, with ourselves, and others.
Then we have the 12 Traditions of AA. Third step--The only requirement for AA is a desire to stop drinking. ---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------You have a great day.
-- Edited by Phil at 06:48, 2004-12-19
amanda2u2 said
Dec 19, 2004
The Steps are basically the same for all of these,,, and it ends up , rather begins, with our admission that we can't control people, places and things, and we turn our lives and wills over to the care of God as we understood Him,,, the 4th Step is going to turn up the same me in all of these programs,, and the 9th Step is going to see me making the same amends.. the 10th Step is going to result in the same evaluation, and on.
the thing about addictions in general, whether it be to a person in a codependency, or to sex for that kind of high, or food... is that we are creatures of habit, and we want more pleasure and less pain. We do and repeat what we find pleasure from, and we avoid unpleasantness, including staying away from and balancing from things we find pleasurable but which we know are not good.
The meeting topics will vary from topics having to do with alcohol, codependency, overeating, and disordered sexual behaviors with each group... AA has a policy to talk only about topics related to alcohol and recovery from that,,, but the gist is the same.
-- Edited by Phil at 06:48, 2004-12-19
The Steps are basically the same for all of these,,, and it ends up , rather begins, with our admission that we can't control people, places and things, and we turn our lives and wills over to the care of God as we understood Him,,, the 4th Step is going to turn up the same me in all of these programs,, and the 9th Step is going to see me making the same amends.. the 10th Step is going to result in the same evaluation, and on.
the thing about addictions in general, whether it be to a person in a codependency, or to sex for that kind of high, or food... is that we are creatures of habit, and we want more pleasure and less pain. We do and repeat what we find pleasure from, and we avoid unpleasantness, including staying away from and balancing from things we find pleasurable but which we know are not good.
The meeting topics will vary from topics having to do with alcohol, codependency, overeating, and disordered sexual behaviors with each group... AA has a policy to talk only about topics related to alcohol and recovery from that,,, but the gist is the same.
love in recovery,
amanda