Great topic to consider, thanks!

I think the Steps tend to remove the barriers to a conscious contact with your Higher Power. I am not sure if the Steps themselves can solve every problem but a conscious contact with a HP can certainly provide solutions to seeing through individual problems, or finding acceptance and peace in the face of seeming disaster.

Yes, the Steps are about learning to live by certain spiritual principles, and then living by those same principles enables us to deal with life issues almost effortlessly rather than remaining caught up in continuous problem-solving gymnastics.

leejosepho's experience is in line with what mine's been. By learning to live by spiritual principles and then doing it, answers to life's problems just seem to come automatically. It took years of falling out of those spiritual lines and suffering the consequences for me to WANT to live the spiritual principles. My life is simple today & gratitude is a normal state of mind.

Whoa, didn't see (solution to every problem in sobriety)!

I have found out the hard way that AA is not a cure all. It addresses my issues as they pertain to alcoholism in concert with a God of my understanding but numerous of us came in with a myriad of "issues" that had to be resolved in other arenas.

That is true AA is not a cure all and that's why I didn't mention AA in my post. BUT I have found working the steps I have found a solution to any given problem.

There is a group in my area that are not either alcoholics or addicts study and live the 12 steps and they have found it very beneficial to them. Go figure.

Remember alcohol is only mentioned in the 1st step.

Awesome gjm! But after all, it does specify alcoholics , too, not to mention the name of the Big Book but if people are benefiting from the 12 Steps, right on!

"My friend promised when [the housecleaning Steps (4 thru 9)] were done ... I would have the elements of a way of living which answered *all* my problems." ("Alcoholics Anonymous", the book, page 13, emphasis added)

That is the original A.A. experience, and today it is also my own ... but I have yet to ever practice it perfectly, of course!

I believe in some respects it can be a cure-all. I truly believe that all problems in life, no matter how brutally real they are, are all in the mind.

If we are reliant on a power greater than ourselves that frees our minds, then life problems simply dissolve.

That's the perfect-case scenario and life constantly tests this scenario and sometimes we do better than others.

I had a difficult moment today when my spouse said something to me this evening while driving. what she said seemed to trigger a very difficult emotion and it really started to overwhelm me. I remained as quiet as possible as I felt I was surrounded by thick dark emotion. I prayed slowly and went directly to my Higher Power. I kept driving and feeling the power of my HP pulling me out of the whole I was sinking in to.

Soon after, I felt pulled completely from the emotional quicksand that I had been caught in.

We continued to drive and finally decided to go see a movie. My spouse and I spent a really nice evening together.

This program is a solution to all of my greatest problems.