remember the 12 steps

[MajestyJo]

Twelve 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 others, and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.


Twelve Traditions
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal progress
for the greatest number depends upon unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one authority—
a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.
Our leaders are but trusted servants—they do not govern.

3. The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for
mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family group,
provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only
requirement for membership is that there be a problem of
alcoholism in a relative or friend.

4. Each group should be autonomous, except in matters
affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.

5. Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help
families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps
of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic
relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of
alcoholics.

6. Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our
name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property
and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a
separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics
Anonymous.

7. Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.

8. Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-
professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may
create service boards or committees directly responsible to those
they serve.

10. The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues;
hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than
promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the
level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special
care the anonymity of all AA members.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.


Spiritual Principles of the 12 Steps:
Honesty, Acceptance, Surrender, Hope, Commitment, Faith,
Courage, Willingness, Humility, Unconditional love, Perseverance,
Open-mindedness, God-Centeredness, Awareness, Vigilance,
Self-discipline, Sharing and caring, Patience, Forgiveness,
Optimism, Selflessness, Compassion, Consideration, Kindness,
Positive thinking, Responsibility, Tolerance, Trust, Unity, Gratitude
and Service.