AA How It Works: The ABCs

One of my favorite parts of the Alcoholics Anonymous reading of How It Works, as it is read at meetings, is the last three lines. Those three lines—A, B, and C—cover the essence of the first three Steps, and they continue to resonate with me.

A: We Were Alcoholic and Could Not Manage Our Lives

The first statement (A) is: “That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.” For me, this is a statement of powerlessness. My powerlessness over alcohol manifested itself in the unmanageability of my life. It is a truth that will never change. I could try to slow down; I could try to change the way I drank, and I could try to manage my life differently, but the fact remained. If I am an alcoholic, it is not smart for me to keep drinking—the results are predictable: insanity, misery, and ultimately death. That is a truth in my life, a non-debatable fact.

What also draws me to this statement is the word “We.” Other members are also attesting to this truth. I am not alone in my experience. This became my First Step in recovery.

B: No Human Power Could Relieve Our Alcoholism

The second statement (B) is: “That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.” That statement speaks volumes. No one person is capable of controlling my alcoholism. Sobriety is an inside job. I have to want the change in my life.

The best sponsor, a loving mother or father, a judge, a home group, a spouse, a sibling, a pastor, priest, rabbi, therapist, psychiatrist, psychologist, or even a warden cannot change my mindset and keep me sober. Not even an ankle bracelet, Antabuse, or prison can change the determination I heard expressed by so many people in AA.

That realization hit me hard. It felt as if someone had taken the training wheels off my bicycle and pushed me into traffic. How was I going to stay sober while facing life on life’s terms without a drink to take the edge off?

I have been sober long enough to experience life events where talking to a sponsor, calling someone, or getting to a meeting was not an option. Cell phones and the internet were not always available, and even today, many people choose to pick up a drink instead of calling a sponsor or joining a meeting. I learned that I could not place my trust in just one person. What if my sponsor picked up a drink? Would that mean AA no longer worked?

My only recourse was prayer for direction and guidance. This became my Second Step. I had to begin believing that sobriety and sane thinking were possible, while also accepting that I alone did not have the solution to my dilemma.

C: God Could and Would If He Were Sought

The last statement in How It Works (C) is: “That God could and would if He were sought.” That was a game-changer for me.

As a drinker, I was pretty much an atheist. I believed I could do whatever I wanted without fear of spiritual consequences. When I came to AA, I was not looking for God. I came because I wanted to stop drinking. I wanted to learn how other people were dealing with life without alcohol.

What I discovered in the meetings I attended and through the stories I heard left little doubt in my mind that there was a God. I found solutions and answers that helped me stay sober one day at a time. That did not mean life became easy. It simply meant I was no longer facing life alone.

Many of the challenges I encountered in sobriety I faced by myself. There were moments when critical decisions had to be made, and consulting another person was not always possible. Faith and trust in a Higher Power often came from a place of desperation rather than willingness. Yet those moments represented complete surrender. There were moments when I finally threw in the towel on self-will. I was out of options—so I prayed.

Even if my prayer lasted only a few seconds, it represented a major decision. It meant accepting whatever God’s will might be after I had done everything within my power and participated fully in my recovery. God could and would—if He were sought. I needed a higher power to guide me.

That fulfillment became my Third Step. I try to recommit myself to it daily, and it has remained a permanent part of my sobriety since I was about six months sober in AA.

I am forever grateful to AA and to my Higher Power for the lessons I have learned and the wisdom that has been shared with me. Those lessons have given me, and countless others, the grace of a new life.