12 Steps 12 Promises
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12 Steps 12 Promises
The Steps and Twelve Promises
Source.....First Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
1. We admitted we were powerless-that our lives had become unmanageable
Promise: We are going to know a new freedom and new happiness
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Promise: We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
3. Made a decisonto turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him.
Promise: We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves.
Promise: No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Promise: That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects in character.
Promise: We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our short comings
Promise: Self seekin will slip away.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Promise: Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
9. Made direct amends wherever possible, except when to do so uld injure them or others.
Promise: Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Promise: We will intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us
11. Sought through prayer and meditaion to improve our conscious contact with God as we undestand HIm, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Promise: We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Promise: Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us...sometimes quickly, sometimes sowly. They will always materialize if we work for them
__________________
Source.....First Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
1. We admitted we were powerless-that our lives had become unmanageable
Promise: We are going to know a new freedom and new happiness
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Promise: We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
3. Made a decisonto turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him.
Promise: We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
4. Made a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves.
Promise: No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Promise: That feeling of uselessness and self pity will disappear.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects in character.
Promise: We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our short comings
Promise: Self seekin will slip away.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Promise: Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
9. Made direct amends wherever possible, except when to do so uld injure them or others.
Promise: Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Promise: We will intuitively know how to handle situations that used to baffle us
11. Sought through prayer and meditaion to improve our conscious contact with God as we undestand HIm, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Promise: We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry the message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Promise: Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us...sometimes quickly, sometimes sowly. They will always materialize if we work for them
__________________
Last edited by CarolD; 07-07-2008 at 04:23 PM. Reason: Added Source
Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,002
THE TWELVE TRADITIONS
Tradition One
"Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity."
Without unity, A.A. dies, Individual liberty, yet great unity. Key to paradox. each A.A.’s life depends on obedience to spiritual principles. The group must survive or the individual will not. Common welfare comes first. How best to live and work together as groups.
Tradition Two
"For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.
Where does A.A. get its direction? Sole authority in A.A. is loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience. Formation of a group. Growing pains. Rotat*ing committees are servants of the group. Leaders do not govern, they serve. Does A.A. have a real leadership? "Elder statesmen" and "bleeding deacons." The group conscience speaks.
Tradition Three
"The only requirement for A .A. membership is a de*sire to stop drinking."
Early intolerance based on fear. To take away any alco*holic’s chance at A.A. was sometimes to pronounce his death sentence. Membership regulations abandoned. Two examples of experience. Any alcoholic is a member of A.A. when he says so.
Tradition Four
"Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."
Every group manages its affairs as it pleases, except when A.A. as a whole is threatened. Is such liberty dangerous? The group, like the individual, must eventually conform to principles that guarantee survival. Two storm signals— a group ought not do anything which would injure A.A. as a whole, nor affiliate itself with outside interests. An ex*ample: the "A.A. Center" that didn’t work.
Tradition Five
"Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
Better do one thing well than many badly. The life of our Fellowship depends on this principle. The ability of each A.A. to identify himself with and bring recovery to the newcomer is a gift from God... passing on this gift to others is our one aim. Sobriety can’t be kept unless it is given away.
Tradition Six
"An A .A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A .A. name to any related facility or outside enter*prise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."
Experience proved that we could not endorse any related enterprise, no matter how good. We could not be all things to all men. We saw that we could not lend the A.A. name to any outside activity.
Tradition Seven
"Every A .A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."
No A.A. Tradition had the labor pains this one did. Col*lective poverty initially a matter of necessity. Fear of exploitation. Necessity of separating the spiritual from the material. Decision to subsist on A.A. voluntary contribu*tions only. Placing the responsibility of supporting A.A. headquarters directly upon A.A. members. Bare running expenses plus a prudent reserve is headquarters policy.
Tradition Eight
"Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non*professional, but our service centers may employ spe*cial workers."
You can’t mix the Twelfth Step and money. Line of cleav*age between voluntary Twelfth Step work and paid-for services. A.A. could not function without full-time service workers. Professional workers are not professional A.A.’s. Relation of A.A. to industry, education, etc. Twelfth Step work is never paid for, but those who labor in service for us are worthy of their hire.
Tradition Nine
"A .A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."
Special service boards and committees. The General Ser*vice Conference, the board of trustees, and group com*mittees cannot issue directives to A.A. members or groups. A.A.’s can’t be dictated to—individually or collectively. Absence of coercion works because unless each A.A. fol*lows suggested Steps to recovery, he signs his own death warrant. Same condition applies to the group. Suffering and love are A A.’s disciplinarians Difference between spirit of authority and spirit of service. Aim of our ser*vices is to bring sobriety within reach of all who want it.
Tradition Ten
"Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A .A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."
A.A. does not take sides in any public controversy. Re*luctance to fight is not a special virtue. Survival and spread of A.A. are our primary aims. Lessons learned from Washingtonian movement.
Tradition Eleven
"Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain per*sonal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."
Public relations are important to A.A. Good public rela*tions save lives. We seek publicity for A.A. principles, not A.A. members. The press has cooperated. Personal anonymity at the public level is the cornerstone of our public relations policy. Eleventh Tradition is a constant reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. Each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellow*ship.
Tradition Twelve
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our tradi*tions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Subordinating personal aims to the common good is the essence of all Twelve Traditions. Why A.A. could not remain a secret society. Principles come before personalities. One hundred percent anonymity at the public level. Anonymity is real humility.
The Twelve Traditions — the Long Form
Equally important, but unfortunately not always recognized as so.
Tom
Tradition One
"Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity."
Without unity, A.A. dies, Individual liberty, yet great unity. Key to paradox. each A.A.’s life depends on obedience to spiritual principles. The group must survive or the individual will not. Common welfare comes first. How best to live and work together as groups.
Tradition Two
"For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority — a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants, they do not govern.
Where does A.A. get its direction? Sole authority in A.A. is loving God as He may express Himself in the group conscience. Formation of a group. Growing pains. Rotat*ing committees are servants of the group. Leaders do not govern, they serve. Does A.A. have a real leadership? "Elder statesmen" and "bleeding deacons." The group conscience speaks.
Tradition Three
"The only requirement for A .A. membership is a de*sire to stop drinking."
Early intolerance based on fear. To take away any alco*holic’s chance at A.A. was sometimes to pronounce his death sentence. Membership regulations abandoned. Two examples of experience. Any alcoholic is a member of A.A. when he says so.
Tradition Four
"Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole."
Every group manages its affairs as it pleases, except when A.A. as a whole is threatened. Is such liberty dangerous? The group, like the individual, must eventually conform to principles that guarantee survival. Two storm signals— a group ought not do anything which would injure A.A. as a whole, nor affiliate itself with outside interests. An ex*ample: the "A.A. Center" that didn’t work.
Tradition Five
"Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
Better do one thing well than many badly. The life of our Fellowship depends on this principle. The ability of each A.A. to identify himself with and bring recovery to the newcomer is a gift from God... passing on this gift to others is our one aim. Sobriety can’t be kept unless it is given away.
Tradition Six
"An A .A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the A .A. name to any related facility or outside enter*prise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose."
Experience proved that we could not endorse any related enterprise, no matter how good. We could not be all things to all men. We saw that we could not lend the A.A. name to any outside activity.
Tradition Seven
"Every A .A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions."
No A.A. Tradition had the labor pains this one did. Col*lective poverty initially a matter of necessity. Fear of exploitation. Necessity of separating the spiritual from the material. Decision to subsist on A.A. voluntary contribu*tions only. Placing the responsibility of supporting A.A. headquarters directly upon A.A. members. Bare running expenses plus a prudent reserve is headquarters policy.
Tradition Eight
"Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever non*professional, but our service centers may employ spe*cial workers."
You can’t mix the Twelfth Step and money. Line of cleav*age between voluntary Twelfth Step work and paid-for services. A.A. could not function without full-time service workers. Professional workers are not professional A.A.’s. Relation of A.A. to industry, education, etc. Twelfth Step work is never paid for, but those who labor in service for us are worthy of their hire.
Tradition Nine
"A .A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."
Special service boards and committees. The General Ser*vice Conference, the board of trustees, and group com*mittees cannot issue directives to A.A. members or groups. A.A.’s can’t be dictated to—individually or collectively. Absence of coercion works because unless each A.A. fol*lows suggested Steps to recovery, he signs his own death warrant. Same condition applies to the group. Suffering and love are A A.’s disciplinarians Difference between spirit of authority and spirit of service. Aim of our ser*vices is to bring sobriety within reach of all who want it.
Tradition Ten
"Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A .A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."
A.A. does not take sides in any public controversy. Re*luctance to fight is not a special virtue. Survival and spread of A.A. are our primary aims. Lessons learned from Washingtonian movement.
Tradition Eleven
"Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain per*sonal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."
Public relations are important to A.A. Good public rela*tions save lives. We seek publicity for A.A. principles, not A.A. members. The press has cooperated. Personal anonymity at the public level is the cornerstone of our public relations policy. Eleventh Tradition is a constant reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. Each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellow*ship.
Tradition Twelve
"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our tradi*tions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."
Spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Subordinating personal aims to the common good is the essence of all Twelve Traditions. Why A.A. could not remain a secret society. Principles come before personalities. One hundred percent anonymity at the public level. Anonymity is real humility.
The Twelve Traditions — the Long Form
Equally important, but unfortunately not always recognized as so.
Tom
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 1,924
12 Promises
"If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through.
1. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
2. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
3. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
4. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
5. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
6. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
7. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
8. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them "
Reprinted from the First Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
1. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
2. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
3. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
4. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
5. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
6. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
7. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
8. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them "
Reprinted from the First Edition of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
Promises, here are a few more:
The above are far from all the promises in the BB to be had if we work for them and continue to apply all of the steps in our daily affairs.
When we sincerely took such a position, all sorts of remarkable things followed. We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our own little plans and designs. More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life. As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.
We can laugh at those who think spirituality the way of weakness.
If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson.
We think of their needs and work for them. This takes us out of ourselves. It quiets the imperious urge
We have begun to learn tolerance, patience and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people.
Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.
And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.
We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
Guest
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Southern New Hampshire
Posts: 746
1st promise
The book is filled with promises well before we get to the ones that are often read at meetings, here's the 1st one, From the title page.
The Story of how thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism.
The Story of how thousands of men and women have recovered from alcoholism.
Guest
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Birmingham, AL
Posts: 1,924
We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW THEY CAN RECOVER is the main purpose of this book. For them, we think these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We hope this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the alcoholic. Many do not yet comprehend that he is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our new way of living has its advantages for all.
It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at present, to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which will result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event. We would like it clearly understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation only, so that when writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as "A Member of Alcoholics Anonymous."
Very earnestly we ask the press also, to observe this request, for otherwise we shall be greatly handicapped.
We are not an organization in the conventional sense of the word. There are no fees nor dues whatsoever. The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone. We simply wish to be helpful to those who are afflicted.
We shall be interested to hear from those who are getting results from this book, particularly from those who have commenced work with other alcoholics. We shall try to contact such cases.
Inquiry by scientific, medical and religious societies will be welcomed.
(This multilith volume will be sent upon receipt of $3.50, and the printed book will be mailed, at no additional cost, as soon as published.)
Forward to the First Edition
It is important that we remain anonymous because we are too few, at present, to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which will result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event. We would like it clearly understood that our alcoholic work is an avocation only, so that when writing or speaking publicly about alcoholism, we urge each of our Fellowship to omit his personal name, designating himself instead as "A Member of Alcoholics Anonymous."
Very earnestly we ask the press also, to observe this request, for otherwise we shall be greatly handicapped.
We are not an organization in the conventional sense of the word. There are no fees nor dues whatsoever. The only requirement for membership is an honest desire to stop drinking. We are not allied with any particular faith, sect or denomination, nor do we oppose anyone. We simply wish to be helpful to those who are afflicted.
We shall be interested to hear from those who are getting results from this book, particularly from those who have commenced work with other alcoholics. We shall try to contact such cases.
Inquiry by scientific, medical and religious societies will be welcomed.
(This multilith volume will be sent upon receipt of $3.50, and the printed book will be mailed, at no additional cost, as soon as published.)
Forward to the First Edition
God's Kid
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 1,820
The promises in the big book which are shopped at meetings
follow after the 9th step in the big book.
I have always thought it meant following the amends process one will begin to experiencing them....
I have always thought it meant following the amends process one will begin to experiencing them....
God's Kid
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 1,820
One of Al Anons concepts is
Originally Posted by sugErspun 
There are also 12 concepts for world service. That is 36 spiritual principles (12 steps, 12 traditions, 12 concepts) that are relevant and applicable to ALL areas of my life.
I think it's fantastic!
Follow Directions!
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Fredericksburg, Va.
Posts: 9,730
Here is a link listing a lot more promises found in the BB. The Promises.. plus
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