How To Surrender Step By Step
Each of A.A.’s 12 Steps calls the person taking them to become willing to surrender something. While this is not an exhaustive list, it represents a really great place to start and singularly, one member’s experience.
(Use this as a litmus test for yourself to gauge the quality of your spiritual condition)
In Step 1, I will surrender…
1.) The delusion that in and of myself I have power, and 2.) The belief that alcohol was/is my problem
In Step 2, I will surrender…
1.) My desire to control everything myself, and 2.) My belief that I am responsible for the outcome of my life
In Step 3, I will surrender…
1.) The person I was before coming to A.A. and taking these Steps
In Step 4, I will surrender…
1.) Fear of looking at who I was, and 2.) Any desire to regret the past
In Step 5, I will surrender…
1.) Fear of sharing my inventory with another human being
In Step 6, I will surrender…
1.) The desire to hold onto my defects of character no matter how familiar or comfortable they are
In Step 7, I will surrender…
1.) The belief that I can become less of my character defects on my own or remove them myself
In Step 8, I will surrender…
1.) Fear of telling the truth, and 2.) My need to point out “their” part, and 3.) Fear of the outcome
In Step 9, I will surrender…
1.) My hesitation to take action, and 2.) Fear they won’t accept my amends, and 3.) Again, fear of the outcome
In Step 10, I will surrender…
1.) My belief that I don’t need to continue the inventory process each and every day to identify “defects du jour” (defects of the day)
In Step 11, I will surrender…
1.) My desire to tell God what to do 2.) My belief that meditation is hard and only for those more spiritual than myself
In Step 12, I will surrender…
1.) Fear that I don’t have anything to give, and 2.) Laziness in practicing these principles in all my affairs
Note – This article appears in the blog for Rick W’s excellent website ‘Take the 12’. Rick W has over 38 years of sobriety and offers excellent free resources including his outstanding book ‘The Prep Steps: Setting Up Action In A.A’