This is the author's description of a spiritual awakening. These are the results of the abandonment of one's life to the care of God and the willingness to seek and follow God's guidance in all things. So much is available to us when we are willing to pay the price which is the destruction of our self-centeredness.
We are promised a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps. What is described here is not a mere modification of behavior, but a reconstruction of the fundamental nature of those who experience this awakening. This awakening may come suddenly or slowly, but is inevitable if we follow the path of those who have gone before us.
We have been unable to overcome drinking. We have been unable to live up to our own ideals and values. The authors and millions of A.A.s around the world say that reliance upon a Power greater than themselves has begun to solve these problems in their lives. The program of action presented in the Big Book shows us how to begin to access this Power.