Models of the Twelve Steps

Grade school through high school

In the early days of AA in Ohio--and, perhaps, in some meetings still today--newcomers were led through the first three steps before they were allowed to attend their first meeting. They took the third step on their knees, with someone else leading them in the prayer of surrender.

There are many sponsors who insist, with good reason, that newcomers must work the steps "in order." This is a great help. It is normal for us to resist the fourth and fifth step. We cannot experience the benefit of these two steps by thinking about them; the results come from actually taking the inventory and admitting "to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs." We balk at these steps, and would rather find "an easier, softer way."

Grade school
1	"Admitted we were powerless" is the first great lesson we have to learn. Everything else depends on this admission. The consequence of admitting powerlessness is that we give up our addictive behavior, whether it is a substance or a pleasurable activity that has become our god.
2	We "come to believe that a Power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity." It is healthy to admit that we are insane; it is insane to deny the evidence that reveals we are sick and in need of a doctor.
3	"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand Him." Angels can do this in a single moment. We are not angels. The third step is like signing a mortgage. Payments must be made regularly in order to remain in the house in which we live.
4
5
6
7
8
High school
9
10
11
12

The downside of looking at the steps on the model of progression through "grades" is that we feel as though we have "flunked out" when we discover that we need a refresher course in some earlier steps, most notably the first three and steps six and seven.

Shame is useless.

We cannot shame ourselves into loving ourselves.

We cannot shame ourselves into loving God.

The Twelfth Step describes the other steps as "principles that we practice in all our affairs."

There is no shame in practicing the principles of the steps "out of order."

We should use whatever principle we need when we need it, no matter where we are in the great task of working the steps "in order."

We need to "pray and meditate" (step 11) and seek "spiritual awakening" (step 12) in order to grow in the principles of powerlessness, belief, and surrender (steps 1-2-3). We need to be "ready to have GOD remove all these defects of character" and "humbly" ask Him to do (steps 6-7) so in order to endure "an accurate and unsparing survey" of the mess we have made of our lives (step 4). GOD is at work in us in all of the steps. "It is not that we have loved God; it is that He has loved us" (1 Jn 4:10). Each of the steps is a focus for "prayer and meditation" (step 11); each of the steps is an opportunity for "spiritual awakening" (step 12).

Game board

Monopoly goes around in circles

Others "first to the end wins"

Flight of stairs

(front of Dr. Bob's house)

Clock face

I love the fact that this image puts the twelfth step at the summit, right next to the first step.

There is a sense in which the twelfth step came first.

Ebby T. brought the message to Bill; Bill carried the message to Dr. Bob; they brought it to all of the rest of us.

The hands of the clock can be thought of us bringing two steps into contact with each other.

This gets ridiculous fast. There are 78 unique pairs of steps marked out by the movement of the two hands on the face of the dial:

1 and 1	1 and 2	1 and 3	1 and 4	1 and 5	1 and 6	1 and 7	1 and 8	1 and 9	1 and 10	1 and 11	1 and 12
	2 and 2	2 and 3	2 and 4	2 and 5	2 and 6	2 and 7	2 and 8	2 and 9	2 and 10	2 and 11	2 and 12
		3 and 3	3 and 4	3 and 5	3 and 6	3 and 7	3 and 8	3 and 9	3 and 10	3 and 11	3 and 12
			4 and 4	4 and 5	4 and 6	4 and 7	4 and 8	4 and 9	4 and 10	4 and 11	4 and 12
				5 and 5	5 and 6	5 and 7	5 and 8	5 and 9	5 and 10	5 and 11	5 and 12
					6 and 6	6 and 7	6 and 8	6 and 9	6 and 10	6 and 11	6 and 12
						7 and 7	7 and 8	7 and 9	7 and 10	7 and 11	7 and 12
							8 and 8	8 and 9	8 and 10	8 and 11	8 and 12
								9 and 9	9 and 10	9 and 11	9 and 12
									10 and 10	10 and 11	10 and 12
										11 and 11	11 and 12
											12 and 12

Arch of Freedom

An arch cannot stand until all of the pieces are in their proper place.

Building an arch requires a scaffolding to support it from underneath until all of the stones are placed in their proper relationship. Then the scaffolding can be removed, and the arch will support itself.

The problem with this picture is that it is static.

It may make us think that we do the work once and that it will keep standing without any further maintenance.

We have to remember that this is only a picture; the spiritual reality is much more complex.

We have "a daily reprieve" from our addiction so long as we maintain "a fit spiritual condition."

The arch can fall apart if we do not continue to "work the steps" every day.

In this picture, the tenth step appears as the keystone for the arch.

"We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it."

First things first

Gas in the tank, breathing, eating

Beginner's waltz

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3

I can't.

He can.

I'll let him.

Inventory Steps

10: [4..9]

Practical Principles

Chess moves, basketball moves, tennis, football, soccer ...

"Principles we practice in all our affairs"

Dr Bob's summary

Trust God

Clean house

Help others

Not a self-help program!

The Twelve Steps are a GOD-help-me-help-others program.