aa Spoken Here Community Group

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nickyj18022002 06/02/2009

The world and lives are made up of three things (as a rough view):-

Our own attitudes and behaviours
Our relationships with others
Our relationships with a higher power

By taking the 12 steps we address all three aspects of our lives:-

Steps 1, 2, 3 - powerlessness and power (HIGHER POWER)
Steps 4, 5, 6, 7 - inventory and change (OURSELVES)
Steps 8 and 9 - amends (OTHERS)

Step 10 - inventory (OURSELVES)
Step 11 - prayer and meditation (HIGHER POWER)
Step 12 - carrying the message (OTHERS)

leejosepho 06/02/2009

Yes, yes, yes! Back in the '80s, I wanted a way to study our book in-depth, so I learned an assembly language, wrote a search program and typed-in up to page 164 ... and the first three searches I ever did were for "God", "alcoholics" and "others"!

In my little world, virtually nothing else exists.

deleted_user 06/03/2009

Wow, I love this - a good way of looking at the Steps at work in our lives as an antidote to self-centredness. As the Big Book says on p.62 "Selfishness! Self-centredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles."

I have to always be aware that selfishness is my default setting. Working the Steps in my daily life helps me turn my thoughts and trust to God, spending more time looking outside of myself to help and care about others.

leejosepho 06/03/2009

As far back as I can remember, I wanted three things: an understanding of our Father in the Heavens, an understanding of myself and a message to carry to my fellows. However, none of those things were available in a world that was all and only about me.

deleted_user 06/03/2009

Putting it that way allows even the newest newcomer to get an idea of where we need to focus in order to recover from alcoholism. It's so cool to see the penny drop when it is explained in this way.

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