Simple steps

[angussdundee]

"Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic and our personal adventures before and after" -
in other words, the first four chapters of the AA Big Book - "make clear three pertinent ideas";

(a) That we were powerless over alcohol and could not manage our own lives:
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism:
(c) That God could and would if he were sought:
"Being convinced, we were at STEP THREE....."

Could it be any simpler.... ???

anguss.

[Carol87]

Very simple indeed AFTER we surrender to Step 1. "Being convinced" was a huge stumbling block for me, I was in denial for such a long time ... Not recommended for recovery! :( :)

[angussdundee]

"Being convinced" is the crucial part.. :)

Convinced of what? Not the twelve steps, for at that point we have not done them yet....

Being convinced of the three pertinent ideas? Yes!

So, if we can accept that the three pertinent ideas are indeed true and apply to us, we have completed the first two steps according to the big book - we are now at STEP THREE.

:-* 'KISS'

anguss.

[WolfM]

For 3 1/2 years after I stopped drinking, I went to meetings, talked to other alcoholics, read the big book, had a couple of sponsors, but was stuck on step 4 (or so I thought). However, one day, in a hotel room, all alone, I was on another island waiting for some of my freinds to show up, and I could not stand being in the room alone with myself. I was uncomfortable in my own skin.
All of a sudden, it dawned on me, if I dd not move forward in this program, I was going to go back. I did not want to go back. As soon as I got back to my home island, I called my sponsor and said "I am ready". In retrospect, I see that my problem was not step 4, but step 3. And when I said to my sponsor "I am ready", I was taking step 3 and he knew what I meant and I immediately began work on Step 4.
Of course that was many years ago and I have heard many important things in AA, but one I always remembered after this was, if you are having trouble with a step, go back to the one before it and see if you have done as thorough a job as you can.

WolfM

[samf]

It almost killed me to get a) and b), enough to get to c)! Alcohol and drugs had to beat me. My own way of solving things and discovering it didn't work...all that had to beat me down...and then with all that desperation, for me, I could move to three.

Basically, had lost all hope, and c) was my last hope.

In other areas in my life, when I am not letting go, it can still be like that, today.

Love,

Sam