My first sponsor asked me to show him where, in the 12 Steps, it says, “Now we stopped drinking.”
It wasn’t there.
Nowhere in the Steps does it say anything like, “Now we stop drinking.”
The 12 Steps Point to a Spiritual Awakening, Not Abstinence
Our program is not about stopping drinking.
Rather, our program is like the 1970s feminist poster:
“A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.”
Instead of abstinence or stopping drinking, our program points to a “spiritual awakening.”
“A spiritual awakening” is “the result of these Steps,” not sobriety, not abstinence … a “spiritual awakening.”
Why Is the Solution to a Drinking Problem a Spiritual Awakening?
This is a puzzle.
Usually in life, the solution to a problem is connected to, or associated with, the problem.
- If I run out of gas, the solution is to get some gas.
- If I am hungry and need some food, the solution is to get some food.
- If I am tired and need some sleep, I get some sleep.
The solution is related to the problem.
But our solution to drinking is not to stop drinking.
Our solution is a spiritual awakening.
It would be like:
- solving my hunger with a nap, or
- getting some gas when I am tired.
The Paradox at the Heart of 12-Step Recovery
However, that does not appear to affect our program’s efficacy.
Millions of people over the last 90 years have recovered from a seemingly hopeless drinking problem with our program; they have stopped drinking and stayed stopped for years and decades.
Our Design For Living has succeeded in achieving abstinence at a level that is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
So the puzzle remains.
But it is a highly effective puzzle, thank God.
Books to Support Your Twelve Step Journey
If you’re looking to explore Step work, spiritual awakening, and personal transformation more deeply, check out The GEMS Series: 12-Step Shares, Notes and Thoughts. These books offer insights, reflections, and real-life recovery experience that complement the journey through the Twelve Steps.
The books in The GEMS Series: 12-Step Shares, Notes and Thoughts can be purchased through my estore or the major online book retailers. Look for GEMS, More GEMS, Still More GEMS, and More GEMS Revealed.
FAQs
Do the 12 Steps actually say to stop drinking?
No Step explicitly says, “Stop drinking.” The Steps describe a program of action culminating in what Step Twelve calls a “spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps.”
What is the stated result of the 12 Steps?
Step Twelve identifies a spiritual awakening as the result of working the Steps.
Isn’t sobriety the purpose of a 12-Step program?
Abstinence is an essential practical outcome for people recovering from alcoholism, but the language of the Steps points toward a broader transformation in how a person lives.
Why would a spiritual awakening help someone stop drinking?
The 12-Step approach proposes that lasting recovery involves changing more than the act of drinking. It addresses behaviour, relationships, resentments, fears, harms done to others, spiritual practice, and service.
What does “spiritual awakening” mean in recovery?
People understand the term differently. It can describe a profound change in outlook, values, relationships, behaviour, sense of purpose, or connection to something beyond oneself.
Is a spiritual awakening necessarily religious?
Not necessarily. Many people interpret spirituality through traditional religion, while others understand it through principles, community, service, meaning, conscience, or a sense of connection.
Why doesn’t the program simply focus on willpower?
The 12-Step model begins from the premise that willpower alone has repeatedly failed many people with serious drinking problems. It therefore proposes a broader program of personal and spiritual change.
Does working the 12 Steps guarantee sobriety?
No recovery approach can guarantee an individual outcome. The Steps are a framework used by many people in recovery, but experiences and results vary.
What is meant by a “Design For Living”?
In 12-Step writing, the phrase describes a practical way of living based on principles such as honesty, self-examination, amends, spiritual practice, and helping others.
Where can I learn more about 12-Step recovery and spiritual awakening?
Books about addiction recovery, the history and principles of the 12 Steps, spiritual growth, and personal recovery stories can provide additional perspectives and practical guidance.
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