BLOG: 12 steps to achieve inner peace
The noted author Scott Peck has stated that the three most cataclysmic events of history were the Holocaust, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous.
AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Robert Smith, both who recovered from alcoholism, to principally help those with alcoholism. The recovery plan is predicated on a 12-step program wherein each participant resigns him or herself to the enactment of a series of sequential action steps to inner peace and sobriety. Hugely successful, the AA principles have rescued millions from the downward spiral of addiction. Dedication to the 12-step program helps free those with alcoholism from the bonds of dysfunctional thinking by resigning themselves to a “higher power.”
The program is scientifically sound and helps transform one from an egoic, self-centered disposition to one of service and love. Indeed, whether afflicted by addiction or not, most, if not all of us can benefit from the 12 steps.
12 steps
1. “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.”
2. “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
3. “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
4. “Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
5. “Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
6. “Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
7. “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”
8. “Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”
9. “Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
10. “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”
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.”
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.”
Key principles
The 12-step program holds key principles necessary to attain inner peace. The emphasis on personal accountability promotes personal growth, rather than blaming others. Owning one’s shortcomings, admitting wrongs and seeking forgiveness is a lasting balm for the soul. Finally, alignment with one’s own “higher power” leads to humility, service and less pre-possession with self.
A unique feature of AA is the focus on spirituality rather than religiosity. The program asks participants to meet “God as we understood Him” and not to become embroiled in ritualistic or overly austere repeated practices. The first three steps are a path to relinquish all our concerns to our inner teacher, the loving presence within. In essence, steps 1 to 3 convey, “I can’t, God can, turn it over!” Those who seek to enrich their spiritual lives will find great solace in these recommendations. “Let go, let God” is a familiar mantra to those in recovery from addiction.
We would all benefit from meditating on the 12 steps and applying them to our daily lives. Many of us may be battling an addiction to work, money or power. Some are hesitant to “own their stuff” and dismiss the call to growth. When we seek to make amends to those we have hurt and relinquish our lives to something bigger inside, peace and joy will be a natural result.
My father struggled with alcohol addiction until he joined AA. Always a good man, Dad became more loving, kind and forgiving after practicing the tenets of AA. In time, my father became a great husband, father and community servant before it was too late.
Noted author, Richard Rohr has stated that AA is America’s most significant and authentic contribution to the history of spirituality. Rohr maintains that the 12-step program can rescue many from dysfunction and co-dependency. Check out the “Big Book” and take the first step to inner peace.
References:
Smith B, et al. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. 2013; New York: Createspace.
Rohr R. Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps. 2016; SPCK.
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Smith B, et al. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. 2013; New York: Createspace.