Step
| Principle
| Life skill, belief, attitude or character attribute required
|
| 1 | We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviours, that our lives had become unmanageable.
| Honesty, transparency, trust, Open communication, humility and accountability.
|
| 2 | We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
| Trust in others, belief that supportive community can have your best interest at heart, trust that others accept you as you are. Submission or ability to take instruction based in trust and teach ability.
|
| 3 | We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God
| The ability to hand over one’s inner struggle to God and those assisting us in the road the recovery. A time of exploration by identifying and acknowledging destructive patterns and then to access the life skills taught.
|
| 4 | We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
| Taking responsibility for my part in each situation, making the choice to forgive, issue forgiveness, stop blaming others , stop denying, self acceptance.
|
| 5 | We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
| Communication skills, emotional maturity, a belief that I must make right even if others do not accept the consequences of my choices and actions. Growth is self concept as a by product of making right.
|
| 6 | We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
| Individual accountability and ability to develop integrity regarding ones personal struggles, ability to seek counsel
|
| 7 | We humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
| We understand that we cannot change within ourselves, but require transparency and a willingness to ask God to set us free from our destructive patterns. Then to access the team around us to ask for guidance and a willingness to be accountable regarding our actions.
|
| 8 | We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
| Taking positive action, developing self motivation, issuing forgiveness and accepting one part . Overcoming shame and guilt. Overcoming passivity, withdrawal, internalising and isolation.Planning and reaching out to others goodness and sense of duty.
|
| 9 | We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
| Taking positive action, developing self motivation, issuing forgiveness and accepting one part . Overcoming shame and guilt. Overcoming passivity, withdrawal, internalising and isolation.Planning and reaching out to others goodness and sense of duty.
|
| 10 | We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
| Being real, acknowledging ones struggles, weaknesses and striving towards developing open, honest and authentic relationships focused on growing emotional and relationally.
|
| 11 | We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us, and power to carry that out.
| Future focused thinking, opportunity seeking, spiritual growth and maturity, developing momentum and consistency in all behaviours and routines.
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| 12 | Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we try to carry this message to others and practice these principles in all our affairs.
| Developing gratitude, focus on others via serving them and putting them first, teaching and helping others enforces positive behaviours and attitudes underlying growth and personal maturity.
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