The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous*

of HIV Anonymous

 

	We admit we are powerless over the fact that we acquired HIV--that our lives have the potential to become unmanageable.
	We believe that a power greater than ourselves exists and may offer direction in our lives.
	We make a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care and direction of our Higher Power.
	We make a searching and honest inventory of ourselves.
	We admit to ourselves, to our Higher Power, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. We set out plans to secure our future.
	We become willing to work in partnership with our Higher Power to remove our ineffective behavior.
	We humbly ask our Higher Power to exonerate us.
	We make a list of all persons directly associated with our lives and become willing to deal with them according to spiritual precepts.
	We take steps toward reconciliation whenever possible, except when to do so would injure others or ourselves.
	We continue to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
	We seek through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power, praying for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
	Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these Steps, we prepare ourselves through faith. We will try to carry this message to others and demonstrate these principles in all areas of our lives.

The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous*

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 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. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Copyright 1939, 1955, 1976 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

* The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous have been reprinted and adapted with the permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (“A.A.W.S.”).  Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions does not mean that A.A.W.S. is affiliated with this program.  A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only – use of A.A.’s Steps and Tradition or an adapted version of its Steps and Traditions in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, or use in any other non-A.A. context, does not imply otherwise.