The 12 Steps of AA
The 12 Steps of AA is a structured program for addiction recovery. It promotes behavior, relationship, and thought change through admitting powerlessness, seeking help, making amends, and maintaining sobriety.
What Are the 12 Steps of AA?
The 12 steps of AA are a structured set of principles designed to guide individuals through the recovery process. Created by Alcoholics Anonymous, these steps provide a spiritual and emotional foundation for overcoming alcohol addiction and building a healthier, sober life.
List of the 12 Steps of AA
Step 1: Honesty
Addiction causes a level of denial that can be quite challenging for onlookers to believe. No matter how much people push someone into recovery, unless they accept that there’s a problem, overcoming it is almost impossible.
The 12 steps begin with an admission that you are powerless over drugs or alcohol. Once you admit that it’s in control of you and not the other way around, you can get started.
Step 2: Faith
Secondly, you must accept that there is a higher power in the universe than yourself. If you want God, or any higher power, to act on your behalf, it’s imperative that you believe it can. Accepting a higher power helps you to see life from a different perspective and creates a sense of accountability.
Step 3: Surrender
Now that you have accepted a higher power into your life, welcome them by surrendering fully to a higher purpose. When people feel like their lives lack purpose and meaning, free will can run wild and lead you down dark pathways.
Surrendering to a higher purpose in AA/NA helps you focus on the true meaning within your life so you can feel like a valuable member of society again.
Step 4: Soul Searching
Soul searching is a process, just like recovery. There is no single moment that defines healing. Instead, it’s a culmination of intentions and actions that lead you down the right path. Soul searching involves looking objectively inwards at yourself.
When we’re caught up in addiction, our intentions can end up severely misaligned from how we behave. Soul searching will help you become the person you want to be.
Step 5: Integrity
Most of the people who don’t succeed in recovery struggle most with this step of the AA/NN journey. One of the hardest things in life is being honest about things that make us appear vulnerable in front of other people. However, the more you learn to speak your truth, unfiltered, the more you’ll get from the recovery process.
Step 6: Acceptance
Addiction is often underpinned by low self-esteem and a negative opinion of yourself. Once you learn to accept that everyone has both good traits and bad characteristics, it’ll be easier to accept yourself.
Sometimes, the hardest aspect of acceptance is letting go of the painful stories we tell ourselves about the past. However, once you accept your history, you can start telling yourself new, happy stories about your future. Focus on obtaining the skills necessary to achieve your goals and you’ll be free of addiction for good.
Step 7: Humility
Antisocial behavior, such as using drugs or withdrawing from peers, often stems from a confused sense of self. When you let go and ask a higher power for help, you relieve a huge weight of pressure from your life.
Step 8: Willingness
You’ll write a list of the people you’ve harmed and ponder carefully over your past actions. Instead of feeling guilty or wallowing in emotion, you’ll think of ideas to make amends. Rather than seeing this as a check-box exercise, genuinely show a willingness to make amends.
Step 9: Forgiveness
If there are people in your past who have caused you pain or trauma or hurt you in any way, now is the time to let go. Resentment isn’t constructive for the mind. In fact, it breeds the type of feelings that make you more likely to turn to drugs or alcohol. Letting go of bad feelings — even if they’re aimed at people who do bad things — frees the soul.
Step 10: Maintenance
Throughout the entire process, you’ll be required to check back with yourself. Be totally honest with yourself about progress so that you can move forward.
Step 11: Making Contact
During step 11 of AA and NA, you’ll reach out to your higher power to find out what its purpose for you is. Everyone has a gift in life; no matter what it is, there’s something you can offer the world. When you’re working toward this purpose is when you’ll feel happiest.
Step 12: Service
Service is all about action. This stage is the rest of your life and involves applying everything you learn in AA and NA meetings to help you build a brighter future for yourself.
Real Stories of People Who Followed the 12 Steps of AA
Read stories from individuals who have walked the path of the 12 steps and changed their lives. Their journeys may help you see what’s possible.
"I never thought I’d be able to stop drinking. I used alcohol for everything—to celebrate, to calm down, to sleep. Step Four was the hardest for me, but also the most freeing. Writing everything down made me understand a lot about myself. Today, I’m sober, more aware, and I have a support network I never imagined. The 12 steps saved my life."
Ana, 38 years old – 14 months sober
"Admitting I had a problem wasn’t easy. It took me years to reach Step One and accept I was powerless over alcohol. But when I finally did, I felt a peace I hadn’t known before. Thanks to my group, my sponsor, and doing the steps honestly, I can now say I have a full life. I got my family back—and myself too."
Carlos, 51 years old – 3 years sober
"At first, I didn’t get it. All that 'higher power' stuff sounded strange to me. But I kept going to meetings, listening, and slowly the steps began to make sense. Step Nine was a turning point: making amends helped me heal some deep wounds. It’s still one day at a time, but for the first time in years, I have hope."
Jessica, 26 years old – 7 months sober
One day at a time.
Ready to take the next step in your recovery journey? Explore our AA Meeting Directory to find support near you, or use our Sobriety Calculator to track your progress and stay motivated. For more guidance, inspiration, and recovery tips, be sure to visit our AA Blog. You can always return to our AA meetings near me Home Page to access everything you need in one place. We're here to support you
Frequently Asked Questions
Alcoholism can entail a certain sense of self-delusion, causing you to think that you are in control. It can also cause problems in your personal life; relationships are negatively affected. Requiring strict self-honesty, the 12 Steps of AA can help you face reality so that you can do something about it. Instead of thinking that you are in control, you are forced to admit that your alcoholism controls you. A higher power — one that is in accordance with your own, personal belief system — gives you hope and strength to overcome because it is more powerful than your alcoholism. You are not. Accountability is provided with the help of a sponsor and, with past errors examined, amends are made where they need to be made. In essence, you are enabled to live a new life and you are held accountable to that new life by others in the fellowship.
The central ideas of AA were originally based on Christianity and its influence is apparent in many AA meetings today. However, alternative versions of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous have been used for years. Some of them are much more secular than others. In addition, more than a few adaptations have been made for those who are addicted to things other than alcohol.
In short, however, it is not necessary to be religious in order to attend AA meetings. This is true even if the meeting in question utilizes the original 12 Steps of AA with its Christian underpinnings. Religious language will be used, but it can be contextualized and the 12 steps can be of benefit nonetheless. As stated in the 12 Traditions of AA, a desire for sobriety is the only requirement for membership in AA.
The 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous states that the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to be sober. Belief in a supreme being is not required. Belief in a higher power is fundamental to AA's approach in dealing with addiction, but the higher power can be whatever you think it is. It can be conceptualized however you like.
If some AA groups are still too religious for your liking, there are other options. The original 12 Step Program was built on the basis of an overarching Christian worldview, but many versions of the 12 Steps of AA are available today. Some of them are much more secular in comparison.
In short, the answer is yes. The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous must be adhered to. Each of them has a purpose and they are essentially a package deal. Alcoholism is no joke; the 12 Steps of AA are there to help you stay sober. If you need help, direction, or encouragement as you seek to complete them, others (e.g., a sponsor) are able and willing to help. If some of them are too religious for your liking, they can be conceptualized in accordance with your own beliefs and their underlying principles can be of benefit.
Please keep in mind that membership in AA is free; monetary contribution is not required. As stated in the 12 Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous, the only requirement for membership in AA is a desire to stop drinking. And if sober living is your goal, completing the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous should not be a problem!
A sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous is someone in an AA group who has been sober for some time — generally more than a year — and is able to keep you accountable. They can guide you through the 12 Steps of AA and be a source of support and encouragement. With a solid understanding of AA and its principles, a sponsor has demonstrated success in their own battle against alcoholism and can lead by example. They embody the sort of servant leadership that is talked about in the 12 Traditions of AA, and as a result, they can effectively impart the knowledge and wisdom you need in order to stay sober.
There are no official rules for sponsorship and you are free to choose your own sponsor. It should be someone you are comfortable talking to. You can even switch sponsors if the one you have is not a good fit for you, but you need to make sure that it is someone who can help you in your journey. A sponsor should be patient, understanding, and empathetic as well as knowledgeable and experienced in the battle against alcoholism. They should be able to guide you through AA and hold you accountable.