What people have told me is that the sooner you start, the better. You don't really need anyone to help you with Steps 1-3 unless you run into difficulty with any of them. There is a Step 3 prayer it is suggested you do with another person--it's really a symbolic act representing your commitment to that Step.
All you are doing in Step 3 is making a decision. You will probably find yourself repeatedly turning over your will and your life and then taking it back.
Once you've made the decision and the commitment to do that, though, the idea is that you recognize what needs to be done and to work toward the ideal.
The Serenity Prayer comes in handy, too. It's gotten me through some tough spots.
In fact, you can start Step 4 if you follow the instructions in the Big Book. There are some worksheets/instruction books you can find with formats for a Fourth Step, but they seem to be overly complicated, and the people I know with good recovery recommend you just follow the format described in the BB. A sponsor is helpful in working Step 4 (if she knows how to do it "by the book"), but not essential. I had a long chat with my sponsor who demonstrated an example of how she worked Step 4, so that was helpful to me.