The 12 steps of AA are much talked about among alcoholics and teetotalers too. They not only help in recovery but also serve as guiding principles for life. A person who follows all the steps carefully and with all his/her heart can hardly fail in conquering their alcohol addiction.
Step 12 is an interesting one. Although each step is interesting, the last one is a kind of wrapping up the entire program. It is important that you carry out this step. Just like the 12 traditions of AA, the 12 steps have kept the charm and dedication of AA alive all these years.
Step 12
Step 12 says:
“Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
Step 12 denotes that you have successfully completed the previous 11 steps and now are ready to live life without alcohol. You have grown spiritually and need no alcohol in your life.
Now that you are recovered, you must spread this message to other alcoholics so that they transform too. At the same time, you promise yourselves to practice the steps in all affairs of your life.
There was a time when you frantically searched for “AA meetings near me.” Today, you are sober with a stable mind and a vision for life.
Isn’t this a remarkable accomplishment?
All the hard work you did in keeping yourselves away from alcohol, your participation in the meetings, your strictness on yourselves, and the dedication to follow each step has, finally, bore fruit
You have transformed.
You are not what you were before – wobbling on your feet, inebriated, and miles away from your reality.
Today, you are standing on your feet, facing the reality with complete sobriety. You are better able to understand things. You can manage your emotions. You are a different and better person.
This was not easy
Quitting alcohol is never easy; but for the determined, everything is possible. Local AA meetings help you realize that the power is within you to change. As you attend the meetings, you discover this power.
As you discover your power, you find no need for alcohol in your life. Once your mind believes this, you can cope with the withdrawal symptoms too. To be on the safe side, you can contact doctors who would help you in easing the symptoms by giving you appropriate medications.
Helping others
One of the traditions of AA is the welfare of each other. That’s what the last step talks about. Now that you have recovered, you must help your fellow beings in the AA meeting in Utah to recover too. Share what you have learned in your 12-step journey. Help them go through the process.
Last but not the least, the last step of AA reminds you that whatever you have learned in the 12-step program is for life. Acceptance, humility, honesty, compassion, self-awareness, forgiveness, and, of course, sobriety, are for life. These qualities promise to bring powerful shifts in your life and help you achieve success in whatever you do.
