It's an 'AA' thing my friend. AA has Twelve Steps that it recommends people take in order to get sober. The first being an admission of our powerlessness over booze. The next ones follow on as suggestives steps we take in order to maintain our sobriety.

Good luck friend.

why p.j.the animal is talking about the steps is of no use to you- he does not believe in a.a. (or fidelity, for that matter). i think you need an old timer to explain fully what the steps are about. they quite simply work and will save your life. love, devonh

Devon, you are such a sad spiteful and need I say 'ill,' unbalanced, bitter and twisted individual. If you wish to trade insults, aim it through my messages. There was nothing wrong with what I said.

Go get yourself a life honey and a good shrink to sort that head of yours out.

Blessings darling.

OK, I am an oldtimer, I will explain.

Alcoholics Anonymous believes that alcoholism is a disease which affects the body, the mind, and the spirit. When we begin drinking, we lose our connection with God/Higher Power. As we continue to drink, we have a mental obsession that creates insane behavior. Last, we are physically addicted to alcohol. When we put the first drink in our body, our brain says give me more, but more is never enough. Eventually, the alcohol destroys our body and we die.

So the founders of AA created twelve suggestions (called the 12 Steps) for dealing with the disease of alcoholism and its affect on the spirit, the mind, and the body.

Each step is done individually and in order. The hope is that if you successfully complete each of these steps then you will have conquered your physical addiction, you will have tools to deal with the mental obsession and you will once again (or maybe for the first time) have a connection to a higher power.

AA is considered a spiritual program. The foundation of the program is based on the premise that with a connection to a God, of your understanding, you will be able to recover from the disease of alcoholism.

The AA program is for those alcoholics who have tried everything else and not been successful in putting down the drink. It is not the only solution to a drinking problem, it is just the one that worked for me.

Hi mate:
In AA's basic text, the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, we have a section called " Working with others".

That "others right jow is YOU ! lol

Here is what the Big Book says our program of action ( see the 12 steps) is about >>
" We are dealing only with general principles common to most denominations. Outline the program of action, explaining how you made a self-appraisal, how you straightened out your past and why you are now endeavoring to be helpful to him. It is important for him to realize that your attempt to pass this on to him plays a vital part in your recovery. Actually, he may be helping you more than you are helping him. Make it plain he is under no obligation to you, that you hope only that he will try to help other alcoholics when he escapes his own difficulties. Suggest how important it is that he place the welfare of other people ahead of his own. Make it clear that he is not under pressure, that he neednt see you again if he doesnt want to. You should not be offended if he wants to call it off, for he has helped you more than you have helped him. If your talk has been sane, quiet and full of human understanding, you have perhaps made a friend. Maybe you have disturbed him about the question of alcoholism. This is all to the good. The more hopeless he feels, the better. he will be more likely to follow your suggestions. Your candidate may give reasons why he need not follow all of the program. He may rebel at the thought of a drastic housecleaning which requires discussion with other people. Do not contradict such views. Tell him you once felt as he does, but you doubt whether you would have made much progress had you not taken action. "
I hope this helps you.

God bless
botbotcoco
www.londonppbbs.com

One of the things you learn is to take your own inventory..oops I just did LOL

my suggestion would be is to go to an aa meeting and get a big book and investigate for yourself, or there is alot on goggle. i would think anyone on the site trying to explain it to you would be doing you a dis service, one thing i will tell you they have changed my life
GOOD LUCK AND INVESTIGATE .

OK Lodgeey, here it is from an Old Timer:

A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to became happily and usefully whole...

And Ron.... guess where I found that at.... not the Big Book I tell you... read some other books from AA to find it. And you told me you were not in the same catagory of Dr. Phil or Rev. Guru. are you?

Lodgeey, I will not tell you to go to AA that is your decision... I will tell you I went and practice their program of recovery.. the obsession to drink has been expelled and my life is happy and usefully whole.