Steps 10, 11, and 12 of AA — The Daily Practice of Recovery

Steps 10, 11, and 12 are sometimes called the maintenance steps — the daily practice that keeps everything built in Steps 1-9 from falling apart. They're not a graduation. They're a way of life.

Step 10: Continue Taking Inventory

Step 10 asks us to continue taking personal inventory and when we are wrong, promptly admit it. The Big Book suggests a daily review — at the end of each day, asking: Was I resentful? Selfish? Dishonest? Afraid? Do I owe anyone an apology? The goal is to clean up small messes before they become big ones.

Step 12: Carrying the Message

Step 12 states that having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Service — sponsoring others, leading meetings, making coffee — is not optional in recovery. The Big Book says we can't keep what we don't give away.

The full 12 steps, Big Book, and 12&12 are in AABlueBook. Free year on iOS: bit.ly/aabfree. Android: FREEMONTHFL.