Step Work

fenners · Veteran Member

Step Work

hopefulone · Senior Member

Good Thursday Morning, Fenners...
Good for you wanting to start the Steps. I never tried to work them by myself. I have heard quite a few shares in the meetings from ones who did and all of those (unless I have forgotten...) did say that they were not able to successfully work them by themselves. They said when they got a sponsor who had a sponsor who helped them work them, and then they helped that person work them, that is what "worked" for them.
Of course, you did point out that you know that you prob. need to get a sponsor. I am just reading between the lines, just in case you are on the fence about it.
Take care and have a great day!

Zoomtopz · MIP Old Timer

I found , by going to Steps meetings helped me Neal.

And as H1 has said . Get a sponsor .

Working the steps gives us the Promises , which gives us Our NEW life.

"We Don't get well , then do the steps . We DO the steps to get well.

A particular steps meeting I went to , very early in my sobriety .

Two tables had 6 people & 1 table had 5 . The last table , had 4 Hefty

Lesbian chicks sitting at it . "Derro Dave" , who had influenced me to go to

that group told me to , sit in with the lesbians . Every Wednesday night for

2 & a half yrs we met & worked our way through the steps , sometimes ,

one or two words at a time , like the Very first word in the steps - WE .

Yep , we worked our way through the steps three times . It was not a step a week .

We did it word by word , phrase by phrase by phrase , occasionaly , sentences.

Get to it Neal . This brand New life is there for You . It's free . And

Will set you Free.

davep12and12 · MIP Old Timer

Go to lots of AA meetings and tell the people in the meetings that you need a sponsor to help take you through the 12 steps. You should look for someone who has successfully stayed sober for a substantial amount of time and and who has gone through all 12 steps themselves, and who 'has what you want' - someone who is happy about living a sober life and who has a degree of sanity and serenity in their life. They should also be someone who has the time to be available to meet with you on a regular basis.

I also recommend reading the AA pamphlets about what a sponsor is and is not:

http://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/aa-literature/p-15-questions-and-answers-on-sponsorship

Fyne Spirit · MIP Old Timer

As others have said, a sponsor who has had a spritual awakening as the result of the steps is a good place to start. Also a Big Book, which is the only publication containing the directions for all 12 steps is vital. It's all in the first 100 or so pages. The book, which is the basic text of AA, is also useful for keeping your sponsor honest.

Steps 1 and 2 were almost no brainers for me, and were pretty much done before I came into AA. The book asks us two simple questions in connection with these steps.

Step 1: Do I concede to my innermost self that I am alcoholic and have I got rid of any delusions that one day I will be able to drink? That's one question, yes or no. It identifies the problem.

Step 2: Identifies the solution. Looking at my own experience I had at various times come to believe a lot of things would fix me. New job, new town, new girlfriend, pills, cousellors, treatment. Some helped but none was a permanent cure. Then I considered AA's spiritual path to recovery. I had to ask myself, "did I beleive or was I even willing to believe that the same power that helped all those AAs, could possibly help me too? Yes or no.

The background to all this is contained in the Doctor's opinion, and chapters 2,3 and 4. Study those pages and see how it compares to your own experience.

There's a good bit oh homework for you Fenners. Enjoy!

Pythonpappy · MIP Old Timer

Hi Neal, ... you have a great attitude come'n to the steps ...

Yes, I got a sponsor and not only was he a crutch for me in the beginning, he helped me understand what my approach should be in work'n the steps ... you've got some great suggestions already, but I might say that I highly suggest what ZZ said, go to a weekly 'Step Study' meet'n ... with your sponsor if you can ... because the 'question & answer' period follow'n those are invaluable ...

you're do'n great, glad you're here ...

Love ya and God Bless,
Pappy