Eleventh step workshop AA program review up to step eleven.

  Eleventh step workshop AA program overview.

• Before we get into how to do the 11th step, let's have a quick review of the first ten steps as described in the book Alcoholics Anonymous to find out exactly why the eleventh step is important why it's suggested to be done everyday morning and evening.

First it's important to understand that Alcoholics are powerless to recover from alcoholism by themselves using self discipline. They cannot quit entirely using their own willpower. They've lost control over their drinking. If they did have willpower, by AA's definition they wouldn't be alcoholic. In fact on pages 20-21 this very subject is talked about. The books solution is directed at "real", "true", hopeless and chronic alcoholics. If I had the power to stop drinking on my own I wouldn't need to be here, I wouldn't have needed to do the program. I would not be alcoholic by AA's definition. It would be a matter of just making a decision to moderate or stop altogether and then doing that. The fact is I can't though, and that's what makes me alcoholic.

AA says alcoholism has two parts:
     A) An allergy of the body
     B) An obsession of the mind.

These two things together are the "hopeless state of mind and body" that is referred to in the forward to the first edition of the AA book. Or in other words.. alcoholism.

We, of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book.

By the way, it's good to note that from this excerpt which is at the very beginning of the book, what the exact purpose of the book is.


The Book Alcoholics Anonymous, states the two part idea of alcoholism over and over and explains alcoholism in about the first 3rd of pages 1 through 164 of the book along with the Doctors opinion.

• The Doctors Opinion chapter explains the allergy of the body and phenomenon of craving part of alcoholism. 
• The first part of the chapter "There is a Solution" and all of "More about Alcoholism" explain the obsession of the mind second part of alcoholism. 

Here are few excerpts, this is from page 44:

"If, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely, or if when drinking, you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably alcoholic."

Also on pg 30: "We alcoholics are men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking. We know that no real alcoholic ever recovers control.

Except in a few rare occasions alcoholics are powerless over alcohol; they lack the power to quit entirely on their own.

The whole idea behind the AA 12 step program of recovery is to find Power to get relief and recover from alcoholism. Well what kind of power? From where? Many of us who have been around AA know the answer already. A Power Greater then ourselves. The Big Book states.

Lack of power, that was our dilemma. We had to find a power by which we could live, and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves. Obviously. But where and how were we to find this Power? Well, that’s exactly what this book is about. Its main object is to enable you to find a Power greater than yourself which will solve your problem.

So let's quickly go over the steps till we get to eleven.

Roughly speaking the steps are grouped into 3 parts.

• Steps One, Two and Three are preparation steps to start on the path to a spiritual awakening and a connection with a Power Greater than ourselves. 

1. I admit I have alcoholism and am powerless to treat the illness my self.
2. Believe that some kind of Higher Power can relieve my alcoholism.
3. Decide to try a Higher Powers way and in making a decision to do so demonstrating the decision has been made by taking action and doing the rest of the steps. (reference the 12 and 12 3rd step essay)

• Steps Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight and Nine are the initial work, action and effort to "seek" God. Just as the ABC's illustrate in "How it Works" read at most meetings.

4. Make a moral inventory to try to uncover our character defects and how they show up and sometimes run our lives. We look at how they surface in what we do and how we behave and have behaved. In this way we uncover the character defects that are blocking us from God. (top of pg 64 AA book)

5. Admit to God, ourselves and another person what we've discovered in the forth step inventory and with the help of God and that other person, find out more about what may be blocking us (through advice, and another persons, (usually our sponsors) perspective on our inventory)

6. and 7. Now with the list of character defects from steps 4 and 5 and how they have shown up in our lives we make an effort to change. We try to not let the character defects, resentments or fear come out in our lives and actually try to live in the opposite direction. For example, where I was dishonest in the past. Be honest. We make an effort with Gods help to change and be more like God would have us be. My sponsor likes to say steps 6 and 7 are about action into right thinking through Gods help. God sees we are making the effort and changes us to the point where are thinking is more aligned with Gods simple will for us.

8. Make a list of ALL people we have harmed in the past and get willing to make amends to them all. (self explanatory) We list anybody we've hurt, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially etc..

9. Go to those people and make reparations, amends, apologies and try to our best to correct our mistakes unless it might harm someone else in the process.

• Steps 10, 11 and 12 are a continuation and routine of steps one through 9. They are meant as a routine we follow where ever and whenever possible. With steps 10 and 11 meant to be a daily routine.

10. Step 10 is easily summed up. On AA Book page 84:2 Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code. So this is a continuation of steps 4,5,6 and 7.

Now onto step Eleven. Through looking at pages 85,86,87 and 88 of the Book Alcoholics anonymous we discover just what Bill W. and the original AA's did to practice this step.


AA Morning Meditation Explained