The Rev. Gregory Hoover fr.greghoover@gmail.com
1. We realized we could not overcome our habits singlehandedly — that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that cooperating with the uncontrolling love of God could help restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to actively partner with God’s uncontrolling love for the healing of our woundedness.
4. Made a searching, honest, and non-judgmental spiritual inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of where we missed the mark in our lives.
6. Were entirely ready to work together with God to heal and transform our mistakes.
7. Humbly asked God to help manage our shortcomings, and to cooperate with God to do so.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take a personal, honest, and non-judgmental inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God’s uncontrolling love, praying for understanding of our sacred purpose and the power to partner with God for our healing and wholeness.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message of partnering with the uncontrolling love of God to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs, for the healing of our bodies, our souls, and our world.
Well done, Greg Hoover! This is an excellent reframing of AA’s 12 Step Program. All of us recovering controllers would be wise to follow it.