There is work to be done. At some point, the message gets through that our problem is bigger than the bottle.

The book’s foundational thesis is that contrary to the widespread idea that the principles are the same as the Steps, the principles are distinct practices and qualities that are embedded, embodied, or contained in the Steps.

In so doing, the book also seeks to shed light on another and related gray area in recovery: the relationship between the moral, the emotional, and the spiritual, and how these are tied to the development of character.

This is where we experience a way of giving that expects no reward, says the 12&12. For like all the virtues but more than any other, love is its own reward, growing in us and fostering our own wellbeing even as we foster the wellbeing of others.

A radical change in perception and orientation that God brings about in us, enabling us to see, think, feel, and act in distinct spiritual ways that transform our lives and can significantly impact the lives of others, is the essence of a spiritual awakening and what makes it an eminently practical proposition, playing itself out as it does in our

When we consider this phrase, most of us tend to focus on the word “all.” We know what the principles are and we know what affairs means. The idea is to practice the principles in all areas of our lives, not just in the rooms and not just as regards our drinking problem.

I was an embarrassment to myself and the program, an alcoholic in double-digit recovery oozing pain and negativity from every pore.

my feelings actually ran my life.

We avoid the more obviously spiritual Steps, the so-called God Steps: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 11.