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Substance Abuse

The 12 steps / Are you an Alcoholic? / 12 steps to a slip / List of dependencies / Relapses / Gleanings / The 4th Step

The 12 Steps

Alcoholics Anonymous
12 Steps

(AA World Services, Inc)

Alcoholics for Christ - 12 Step, Christ Centered, Program for Alcoholics and Substance Abusers

Laying the Groundwork

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable

1. We admitted that we had become powerless over alcohol or the alcoholic (the substance we had abused or the substance abuser) and that our lives were unmanageable.

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death. (Prov 14:12) For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do - this I keep on doing. (Rom 7:19) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (ROM 7:24)

Study: Gen 4:7; Prov 14:12; 2 Cor 1:9; John 8:36; ROM 3:10,23; Jas 2:10; ROM 6:23; ROM 7:5,6; ROM 7:5,6; ROM 7:18-20; ROM 7:24,25; ROM 8:1,2; ROM 8,9,10; 1 COR 10:13,14; 1Pet 5:6,7; Pro 3:5-8.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

2. Came to believe that through Jesus Christ we could be restored to right relationship with God the Father, and subsequent sanity and stability in our lives.

Jesus answered " I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:16) For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life. (John 6:40) For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (ROM 10:13)

Study: Isa 1:18-20; Rev 3:20; Rom 10:13; Rom 10:1-4; John 14:1-14; John 3:3-6; John 7:37-39; John 11:25-26; John 6: 40; John 5:37-40; 10:37-39; 2 Cor 4:13,14; Rom 8:11; John 20:29-31; John 17:15-26.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

3. Made the decision to turn from the things of the past and invite Jesus to be Lord and manager of our lives.

For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation.

Study: Math 11:28-30; Prov 16:3; 2 Cor 6:20; John 3:16-18,36; Rom 10:9,10; 1 John 4:15�17; 5:4-5; John 10:17-18;12;24; I Cor 15:22; 2 Cor 5:15-21; Rom 5:17; Phil 3:7-9; Rom 6:12-14; 1 Pet 1:13-16.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Eph 5:11) Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices. (Eze 30:31) Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. (2 Cor 7:20-23)

Study: Psl 139:23,240; Eph 4:17-5:21; Gal 5:13-16; Mark 7:20-23; 1 John 1:8; Eze 36:26,27,31; 2 Cor 7:10; Rom 13:11-14; Rom 12:1-3; John 8:34-36; Rom 8:5-9; 2 Cor 6:14-7:1; 1 John 3 19-24; Psl 19:14.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

5. Admitted to God, ourselves, and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John1:8-9) Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (Jas 5:16a) The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Study: Psl 32:1-5; Prov 28:13; Luke 12:2,3; Prov 20:9; John 3:19-21; 1 John 1:8-10; 1 John 2:1,2; Jas 5:16.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all of our character defects.

No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. (1 John 3 :9) Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - which is your spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1)

Study: Gal 1:3-5; Heb 8:10,12; Acts 3:19; John 1:29; Eph 1:7; 1 John 3: 4-6; 1 John 3:9,10; Eph 2:3-5; 2 Pet 2:24; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4: 31,32; 2 Tim 2:15; Heb 4:13-16.

7. Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings.

7. Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings and to forgive us believing and receiving.

He who conceals his sin does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Prov 28;13) Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my inequity. I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord", and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psl 32:5) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Study: Psl 41:4; Psl 51:1-13; Prov 1:7, 15:33,22:4; Math 18:1-4; Luke 18: 10-14; 1 Pet 5:6-7; Math 3:1,2; Prov 20:9,28:13; Psl 32:5; 1 John 1:9.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

8. Made a list of all the people we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

Fools mock at making amends for sin, but good will is found among the upright. (Prov 14:9) Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has Something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Math 5:23, 24)

Study: Prov 14:9; John 13:34,35; Math 5:21,22; 1 John 2:9-11; Math 5:23,24; Math 7:12; Mark 11:25; Prov 20:22, 24:29; Luke 6: 27,28; Math 6:14,15; 1 Pet 4:7,8.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

9. Made direct amends to such people, wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Give everyone what you owe him; if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect if honor. then honor. Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellow man has fulfilled the law. (Rom 13;7-8) Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right you are blessed. (1 Pet 3:13)

Study: Eze 33: 14-15; Rom 13; 7,8; Prov 25: 21-22; 1 Pet 3:13; Math 25:40.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. (Rom 12: 3) Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

Study: 1 Pet 1:22-23; Luke 12:1-3; Eph 4:25-26; 2 Tim 2:23-24; 2 Tim 2:14-16; 1 Cor 13:4-7 7,11; Phil 2:1-4; Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 10:12-13; 1 John 1:9, 2: 1-2; Heb 9:1-3; Phil 2:12 15; 1 Pet 2 16-17; Jas 1:22.

11. 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.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation on God's word to increase our Fellowship with Him, praying continually for the knowledge of His will for us and the power of His might to accomplish it.

My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight; keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body. (Prov 4:20�22) Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Math 7:7,8) Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 The 5:16-18)

Study: Eph 3:14-19; Psl 1:1-3; Psl 40:8,119:10-11, 143:10; Math 12:50; Math 6:5-13, 7:7-8; John 16:23-24; Acts 1:14, 4:29-31; 2 Cor 10:4-5; Math 18:18-20; Eph 6:18; Math 26:41; 1 The 5:16-18.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

12. Having been spiritually restored and set free from "the sin which does so easily beset us," we attempt to share this freedom and the One who has freed us with those who still suffer, and practice the Lord's principals in all our affairs.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witness in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself or you may be also tempted. (Gal 6:1) The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Pet 4;7-8)

Study: Acts 1;8; 2 Cor 1:3-4; Gal 6:1-2; 1 Pet 5:8-9; Jude 20-23; 2 Tim 4:3-5; Math 10:16-33; Mat 10;7-8; 1 Cor 9:19-23; John 8:31-32; John 15:7-8; John 15:15-17; 1 Pet 4:7-8.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, as adapted by adding Biblical Scriptures are reprinted with an adaptation of Biblical Scriptures with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc (A.A.W.S.) Permission to reprint this adaptation of the Twelve Steps does not mean that A.A.W.S. has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that A.A.W.S. necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only - use of the Twelve Steps in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, or in any other non-A.A. context, does not imply otherwise. Additionally, while A.A. is a spiritual program, A.A. is not a religious program. Thus, A.A. is not affiliated with any sect, denomination, or specific religious belief.

Are you an Alcoholic?

TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS, AND ANSWER AS HONESTLY AS YOU CAN.

  1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?
  2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
  3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
  4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
  5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
  6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
  7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?
  8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare?
  9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
  10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
  11. Do you want a drink the next morning?
  12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
  13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
  14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?
  15. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?
  16. Do you drink alone?
  17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
  18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?
  19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
  20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institute on account of drinking?

If you have answered YES to any one of these questions, there is a definite warning that YOU may be alcoholic.
If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic
If you have answered YES to any three or more, You are definitely an alcoholic.

The above TEST Questions are used by John Hopkins Hospital Baltimore MD

12 Steps to a Slip

Every slip has a beginning - Know Your Danger Signals

  1. Start missing meetings for any reason, real or imaginary.
  2. Become critical of the methods used by other members, who may not agree with you in everything.
  3. Nurse the idea that someday, somehow, you can drink again and become a controlled drinker.
  4. Let the other fellow do the 12th Step work in your group. You are too busy.
  5. Become conscious of your A/C "Seniority" and view every new member with a skeptical and jaundiced eye.
  6. Become so pleased with your own views of the program that you consider yourself an "Elder Statesman."
  7. Start a small clique within your own group, composed of only a few members who see eye to eye with you.
  8. Tell the new member in confidence that you yourself do not take certain of the 12 steps seriously.
  9. Let your mind dwell more and more on how much you are helping others rather than on how much the A/C program is helping you.
  10. If an unfortunate member has a slip, drop them at once.
  11. Cultivate the habit of borrowing money from other members, then stay away from the meetings to avoid embarrassment.
  12. Look upon the 24-hour plan as a vital thing for new members, but not for yourself. You have outgrown the need for that long ago.

List of Dependencies

  • Alcohol/drugs
  • Work
  • Achievement/success
  • Money/gambling/hoarding
  • Control
  • Food
  • Sex
  • Approval of others
  • Rescuing others
  • Consuming relationships
  • Physical illness/hypochondria
  • Exercise
  • Perfectionism
  • Cleanliness
  • Organizing/structuring
  • Cosmetics
  • Clothes
  • Academics
  • Legalism
  • Materialism
  • TV
  • Video games
  • Athletics
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Violence/anger
  • Withdrawal/sleep
  • Attention

Relapses

  • I start taking on other people's work, neglecting my own.
  • I smile a lot - dishonest with my feelings.
  • I become argumentative.
  • I start replaying old resentment tapes.
  • I don't share my depression with my friends.
  • I get cocky.
  • I stop following up; don't keep my promises.
  • I become complacent.
  • I start expecting things of others, and am resentful when they don't live up to my expectations.
  • I get into "shoulding" all over myself.
  • I stop praying and meditating.
  • I stop doing my inventory.
  • I become bored (and boring).
  • I lose my faith and become flooded with irrational fears.
  • I become scattered and can't concentrate.
  • I become judgmental. I stop accepting people for what they are and start not accepting them because they are not what they "should be".
  • I stop listening to that small, still voice.
  • I become a Martyr.
  • I stop asking for Help.

Field Gleanings From the Alcoholics for Christ Tables

  1. The FACE OF CHANGE reflects the amount of discomfiture/pain that is being required to bring about the change.
  2. By following miserably-directed methodology, we become miserably-directed people. By following foolish methods, we become...... people.
  3. Compassion, Commitment, Communication, and Understanding are the ingredients that make up the Oil, that reduces the friction between issues, people, and stances.
  4. In our lives, if we think, or say, or do.....nothing good, then the results of our works are...... good-for-nothing.
  5. The new person to the program, who desires to serve in the ministry, should spend their time in decision-learning, not in decision-making.
  6. Let yourself learn from another's folly, as you don't have enough of a lifetime left to be that foolish!
  7. Treat people as valuable gold, and watch your treasures multiply....and multiply.
  8. They did worthless things, and in turn, they became worthless-themselves.
  9. How much trust you currently put in God, can be compared to the degrees on a thermometer, and how much Holy Spirit fire you allow in you.
  10. Correction is not criticism. It's a tool for us to adjust our sights on our goal. Our goal is service to the Master.
  11. Alcoholics for Christ is simply "One beggar telling another beggar - where to get the bread!" The Bread of Life is Jesus!

Step 4

MADE A SEARCHING AND FEARLESS MORAL INVENTORY OF OURSELVES

(Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious heart. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.)

Are you experiencing some form of apprehension as you approach Step 4? This is not only understandable, but it is also the reason why it needs to be "searching and fearless". This step has a specific place in the great plan that God has for each of our lives and as Christians we need to move into and through this step with faith, believing and expecting. Hebrews 12:11 tells us that - -
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

God really does love us and He urges us in Isaiah 1:18 to - -
"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

He then begins to unfold the inventory plan He has for us in Ezekiel 36: 26,27 and 31 - -
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My Laws. Then you will remember your evil ways and wicked deeds, and you will loathe yourselves for your sins and detestable practices.

We need to ask ourselves at this point, why would God, after doing all these good things in us and for us, want us to remember (look at) our "evil ways" and to loathe ourselves for our "sins and detestable practices"? Does this seem like it's pretty drastic? Let's look at what God says in Psalm 36:1 and 2
Concerning the sinfulness of the wicked. There is no fear of God before his eyes, for in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detest or hate his sin.

This is confirmed by what He says to us as Christians in 1 John 1:8 and 10 - -
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His Word has no place in us.

In essence, God is telling us that He associates refusal to identify sin with wickedness. When we deceive ourselves by refusing to identify these things in our lives, then our understanding of His Word is blocked (has no place in us).

Praise God that His plan continues to unfold for us as He tells us in 1 John 1:9 - -
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

This is our guarantee, this is our green light, this is the encouragement we need to proceed as God would have us, "searching and fearless." Jesus said in John 15:1 and 2 - -
"I am the true vine and My Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He trims clean so that it will be even more fruitful."

If, after considering what has been said, we believe that the inventory step does have a definite place in God's plan for us, we are now ready to involve ourselves in a practical way. Since to confess means to identify and acknowledge, we can begin the process of doing this by first asking the Holy Spirit to guide us identifying to what extent the strengths and weaknesses (personality traits) in our lives manifest themselves. We will get some idea of this as we check the appropriate columns in the listings below. REMEMBER, God is with us and He wants this to be "searching and fearless."

4TH STEP INVENTORY WORKSHEET (Click this link for pdf printable version)

A = Very Little (Practically never) C = Considerable (Most of the time)
B = Occasional (Some of the time) D = Consistently (Almost always)

FruitLESSness A B C D
  1. Self-pitying
  2. Resentful
  3. Critical
  4. Suspicious
  5. Angry
  6. Tense and apprehensive
  7. Emotionally uncontrolled
  8. Withdrawn
  9. Jealous
  10. Fearful (afraid to assert self)
  11. Selfish, self-indulgent
  12. Domineering
  13. Self-righteous
  14. Stubborn
  15. Intolerant
  16. Dishonest with self
  17. Sexual fantasizing
  18. Depressed and gloomy
  19. Smug, narrow-minded
  20. Feeling superior
  21. Expect too much too soon
  22. Hyper-sensitive
  23. Despondent
  24. Sullen (silent treatment)
  25. Apprehensive of the future
  26. Procrastinating
  27. Aimless and indifferent
  28. Excessive television
  29. Worrisome, over-anxious
  30. Ungrateful
  31. Prone to gossip
  32. Obsessed with own problems
FruitFULLness A B C D
  1. Unselfish, thoughtful of others
  2. Not holding grudges
  3. Charitable
  4. Trusting
  5. Patient
  6. Relaxed
  7. Calm
  8. Outgoing
  9. Loving in attitude
  10. Confident
  11. Generous and loving
  12. Yielding
  13. Uncritical
  14. Agreeable
  15. Forgiving
  16. Truthful
  17. Meditation on God's Word
  18. Optimistic
  19. Open-minded, gracious
  20. Humble
  21. Realistic
  22. Willing to admit faults
  23. Hopeful
  24. Having a sense of humor
  25. Living 24 hours a day
  26. Being prompt
  27. Finding a purpose
  28. Spiritual reading (studying)
  29. Serene
  30. Thankful for all blessings
  31. Protect confidences of others
  32. Helpful to others

Note:
Retain this form in your records. Periodically you will have the opportunity to do it again, and when you do, you will be blessed by observing the progress you will have made.

Remember, God tells us in Roman 8:1 - -
There is therefore no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Since we have now followed the Holy Spirits direction and allowed Him to Guide us and reveal our strengths and weaknesses, we are now ready to proceed to step 5. Admitted to God and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.