I have been writing about breaking down the twelve steps of AA and understanding the twelve principles of AA, but now is the perfect time of year to tie it all together with a little Christmas bow!

In recovery, we get to live a life that is humorously, joyfully, and outlandishly free. "We do the ridiculous, and get the miraculous", which is befitting to the holiday season. It's Christmastime and also the end of an intense year, so I thought it would be the perfect time to celebrate the Twelve Steps and Twelve Principles.

Before getting sober I never used to wake up in the morning happy to be alive, willing to pray, meditate and give thanks for my day. That's why The Twelve Days Of Recovery, just like the Twelve Days Of Christmas is all about celebrating life. Let's celebrate all the little things we get to do in sobriety, like being able to be of service "suiting up and showing up" and being in the present moment. Being present right here and now is the gift of sobriety- and who doesn't like to talk about presents during the holidays?

Each Day Is A Gift: Twelve Days Of Recovery

I've picked out some of the pearls of wisdom that seem to help understand the steps and principles the most. In sharing these with you I hope that that our collective spiritual experience broadens the reach of a program of recovery this holiday season.

PRINCIPLE1. HONESTY

STEP 1. WE ADMITTED THAT WE WERE POWERLESS OVER ALCOHOL - THAT OUR LIVES HAD BECOME UNMANAGEABLE.

The Message: Honesty is the essential first step in recovery; it's the daily surrender, the simple and humble act of asking for help, admitting or "letting in" the reality of our powerlessness. A lack of honesty ultimately kept us in a cycle of addiction. The truth is that "we are only as sick as our secrets" and there's a reason they say, "rigorous honesty brings real recovery".

How It Works: Most of us can "talk- the –talk" but practicing the principle means that you speak the truth and act truthfully. You've gotta feel like you have a safe space and people you trust around you in recovery for this to work. Not sure about your powerlessness over alcohol or drugs? Create lists about consequences and powerlessness; write out how your addiction has created chaos and destruction…it's kind of hard to ignore things that are written right in front of us.

PRINCIPLE 2. HOPE

STEP 2. CAME TO BELIEVE THAT A POWER GREATER THAN OURSELVES COULD RESTORE US TO SANITY.

The Message: The more we witness hope manifesting in our life, the more it builds an opportunity for a change in attitude. Hope instills the passion and motivation to see what each day has in store. Sober.

How It Works: There is hope for becoming a sober person, being free of our addictions, and restoring sanity. We learn that we are not alone and that something greater than ourselves can help to conquer addiction and despair. Hope is such an important spiritual recovery principle because it can become a habitual attitude. In fact, to some, AA stands for "Altered Attitudes". So, check your attitude, pay attention to 'stinking thinking' and see if you can "flip the switch". Get grounded in the grace of God daily; fake it ‘til ya make it by imagining and feeling that the good you hope for is already here.

PRINCIPLE 3. FAITH

STEP 3. DECIDED TO TURN OUR WILL AND OUR LIVES OVER TO THE CARE OF GOD AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM.

The Message: This is a great point in your recovery to say to yourself: "I can't. God can. So I'll let God." We have the freedom to choose our concept of "God". Even a room full of other recovering addicts, or a Group Of Drunks, can be your higher power.

How It works: Look for reminders of your higher power everywhere every day. "If you want God to open and close doors, let go of the doorknob". Use your hands wisely and put them together in prayer. Keep it simple: The "Serenity Prayer" can help you as you seek knowledge and make your decision to turn it over daily. Really listen to the words and understand what they mean as you say them: "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

PRINCIPLE 4. COURAGE

STEP 4. MADE A SEARCHING AND FEARLESS MORAL INVENTORY OF OURSELVES.

The Message: Alcoholism is just a symptom of a spiritual disease, the real problem is in character flaws that need to be faced and when possible, overcome. This requires a searching, bare it all, revelation-inducing personal inventory that will become the blueprint for your success. It’s scary, yeah, but doing the thing that scares you is when the courage comes. Now you will begin to take responsibility for all your past and current actions.

How It Works: Even though remembering the past may be painful, it can propel you into a new life of peace, as you learn how to look back without staring. Ask someone who has completed this step how it helped him or her, and how the hope of recovery can help you through the pain of remorse to the joy of forgiveness. Make sure to check in with what spiritual principles you are practicing in your life, how your faith in a higher power has grown, and how you are showing gratitude for your recovery.

PRINCIPLE 5. INTEGRITY

STEP 5. ADMITTED TO GOD, TO OURSELVES, AND TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING THE EXACT NATURE OF OUR WRONGS.

The Message: This is the time to Go For It! The fifth step is a confession of personal wrongdoings and the beginnings of your spiritual housecleaning. Laying it all out there on the table provides a great opportunity to finally let all your stuff go. You get to flush out the cobwebs of your past that keep you stuck.

How it works: The process of clearing away the wreckage of the past will not be completed until we have shared those wrongs with another person. You get to practice humility, fearlessness, and honesty as you tell someone else your life story…Get ready to expect the unexpected. Deepen your commitment to the program and recovery. These simple actions keep us on a path of freedom and a new way of living.

PRINCIPLE 6. WILLINGNESS

STEP 6. WERE ENTIRELY READY TO HAVE GOD REMOVE ALL THESE DEFECTS OF CHARACTER.

The Message: You get to partner up with your HP and make a firm decision to let go of the character defects and flaws that have been ruling your life and seemed to have you hell-bent on self-destruction.

How it works: Sometimes character defects feel good and we really kinda love some of them! But changing addictive behavior is much easier when broken down into tiny incremental steps. You're a work in progress and you should be happy about your success so far. Celebrate each little victory; keep an open mind and a positive attitude through your journey. Spirit meets us at our point of action, so remember, don't try- DO!

PRINCIPLE 7. HUMILITY

STEP 7. HUMBLY ASKED HIM TO REMOVE OUR SHORTCOMINGS.

The Message: A program of recovery is about getting rid of shortcomings or character defects and replacing them by practicing humility & spiritual principles. This requires constant thoughtfulness and commitment to being honest, courageous, and humble. In my experience, my higher power has never left me empty-handed; everything I have lost has been replaced with something better. I was asked to put down the drink and the drug because my higher power wanted me to pick up something better.

How It Works: Practice the art of being "right-sized." Humbly ask your higher power to remove your shortcomings, recognizing that you are neither too perfect, too special, nor too damaged or horrible. Deep and lasting change comes slowly, and no one lets go of shortcomings all at once. However, they do disappear as we become aware of them and take action, one thing at a time, and one day at a time. Remember, spiritual principles meet us at our point of steps we take- so while we cannot control the course of life, we can control every spiritual move we make.

PRINCIPLE 8. LOVE

STEP 8. MADE A LIST OF ALL PERSONS WE HAD HARMED AND BECAME WILLING TO MAKE AMENDS TO THEM ALL.

The Message: The greatest thing about recovery is that much to our own surprise we become willing to let go of resentment, blame and self-pity, and to recognize that we are all just ordinary, garden variety, human beings. We are Love.

How It Works: This is the process of making amends, forgiving others, possibly being forgiven by them, and to forgiving ourselves. By making a list of the people we harmed and becoming willing to make amends, we take action toward healing the past with others and learning how to live in the world with our heads held high, looking people right in the eye. So, instead of getting caught up in those tricky old feelings, get out your pen and paper and just put those names on a list. Like Santa.

PRINCIPLE 9. DISCIPLINE

STEP 9. MADE DIRECT AMENDS TO SUCH PEOPLE WHEREVER POSSIBLE, EXCEPT WHEN TO DO SO WOULD INJURE THEM OR OTHERS.

The Message: Time to radically repair relationships. In my experience, walking around with the weight of amends that need to be taken care of really sucks. More importantly, living with the leftover guilt and shame from past wrongdoings prevents us from moving forward and puts us at risk for using again!

How It Works: To keep things as simple as possible, you can get your head in the game and keep in mind the three concepts: Restoration, Resolution, and Restitution.

Do you want to be free? Well, there are no half measures, and it ain't easy… if it were easy, everyone would be doing it! It takes strength and courage to own up to our mistakes, and when necessary, make restitution. It is another rewarding part of our recovery journey and brings us closer to the gift of freedom.

Remind yourself of the promises: If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are halfway through.

PRINCIPLE 10. PERSEVERANCE

STEP 10. CONTINUED TO TAKE PERSONAL INVENTORY AND WHEN WE WERE WRONG PROMPTLY ADMITTED IT.

The Message: Alcoholics and addicts have typically honed the skill of nursing resentments and finding fault into an art form! The price for our healthy recovery is vigilance; because we have the disease of addiction, we can always return to what we were before. But now we take responsibility for our actions and promptly clean up our role in all matters. We put into practice the spiritual principles of vigilance, maintenance and perseverance.

How It Works: When we make a conscious decision to check our motives and our hearts each day to see if we've been acting out even with minor things like judging, being snippy, or insulting- we can quickly make amends and go on living a life in peace and harmony. This is one of the ways we stay sober. This is how we enter the "world of the spirit. "So keep taking the next right action, keep your side of the street clean and remember to stay sober, one day at a time.

PRINCIPLE ELEVEN. SPIRITUALITY

STEP 11. SOUGHT THROUGH PRAYER AND MEDITATION TO IMPROVE OUR CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD AS WE UNDERSTOOD HIM, PRAYING ONLY FOR KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WILL FOR US AND THE POWER TO CARRY THAT OUT.

The Message: As part of our spiritual awakening we begin to manifest the three elements of recovery, which involve the body, the mind, and the spirit. Just like a three-legged stool, our recovery cannot stay upright and secure unless all three legs are equally strong. So we work on and maintain all of them equally.

How It Works: I find that consistent prayer and meditation helps put a focus on a higher power instead of on my self, which is a relief and freedom. No longer feeling such an urgency to control every little thing in our lives and surrendering that 'self will run riot', leads to more satisfaction and success. Any great relationship is a dialogue; so keep the lines of communication with your higher power open. If you haven't heard it before, AA is a simple program for complex people. A simple suggestion here is that prayer is "talking to God" and meditation is "listening to God's reply." It's also a great reminder that improving conscious contact means building a relationship with God…Those who pray, stay.

PRINCIPLE TWELVE. SERVICE

STEP 12. HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING AS THE RESULT OF THESE STEPS, WE TRIED TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE TO OTHERS, ESPECIALLY ALCOHOLICS AND TO PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS.

The Message: To keep it simple, when we work with others, our lives change. So, we don't help another alcoholic because they're sick—we help another alcoholic because we are sick, and part of our recovery is that we need to be helping others.

How It Works: The beauty and eloquence of AA Step 12 is part of the many promises of working the program. Life really does take on new meaning when watching people recover, seeing them help others, and watching loneliness vanish. Frequent contact with newcomers, and with each other, is the bright spot of our newfound lives. Practicing the 12 steps in all our affairs, trusting a higher power, cleaning house, sharing our experience strength and hope, staying active in service one day at a time, is the icing on our sobriety cake…Worth every calorie.

Holiday Hope: Recovery Is A Precious Gift

Twelve Step programs can be a solution to the disease of addiction. They are a set of universal guiding principles that merge the traditional boundaries of religion, history, culture, and wisdom traditions. They outline a course of action that will remove the obsession in the mind, connect you to a Higher Power and show you how to help others who still struggle.

Acceptance comes when we feel a profound sense of hope and peace as we come to terms with our addiction and recovery. We begin to see recovery as a precious gift.

Together we have a daily reprieve, a spiritual connection, and a step-by-step program that helps us to stay sober…and remember, continuing to do anything in our daily lives usually means that we get better at it ;-)

As they say, God doesn't give you more than you can handle . . . but He may give you more than you can handle on your own. So, if you or someone you love is struggling with addiction and want to learn more about the steps and principles in recovery, reach out to me today!

It is my Christmas wish and my hope that your life can be ridiculously miraculous too!

View the 12 Steps of AA
View the 12 Principles of AA

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