Christianity Oasis Member Forum & Chat Room

12 Steps of Recovery for Christians

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and dysfunctions- (whatever they be.)
that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that God, a Power greater than ourselves,
could restore us to sanity and stability.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God as revealed in the Bible.

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 revealed in the Bible,
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 others,
and to practice these principles in all our affairs.


Note:
The Twelve Steps are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt
the Twelve Steps does not mean that A.A. is in any way affiliated with this program. A.A. is a program of recovery from
alcoholism only - use of the Twelve Steps in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which
address other problems, or in any other non-A.A. context, does not imply otherwise. Additionally, although A.A. is a spiritual
program, it is not a religious program. Hence, A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination or specific spiritual belief.
Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understand him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all of these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people where ever possible except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We 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 a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to
practice these principles in all our affairs.

great idea to post the 12 steps bro ,perhaps you may consider posting the traditions too. we needed something like this here bro good job

Steps to Serenity


That you have picked up Serenity probably means that you or someone you love is already involved in or considering recovery as a means of seeking freedom from any one or more of a number of addictive agents. Addictive agents are those persons or things on which we form an excessive dependency. The catalog of addictive agents includes:

Money addictions, such as overspending, gambling, hoarding
Control addictions, especially if they surface in personal, sexual, family, and business relationships.
Alcohol, Drugs, Money, Food addictions
Sexual addictions
Approval dependency (The need to please people)
Rescuing patterns toward other persons
Dependency on toxic relationships (relationships that are damaging and hurtful)
Physical illness (Hypochondria)
Exercise and physical conditioning
Cosmetics, clothes, cosmetic surgery, trying to look good on the outside
Academic pursuits and excessive intellectualizing
Religiosity or religious legalism (preoccupation with the form and the rules and regulations of religion, rather than benefitting from the real spiritual message)
General perfectionism
Cleaning and avoiding contamination and other obsessive-compulsive symptoms
Organizing, structuring (the need always to have everything in its place)
Materialism

Most of us can see ourselves somewhere in this list. And all of us can benefit from the truths that emerge from Twelve Step recovery, because all of us are, to some degree, codependent. What does that mean? We define codependency as being an effort to control interior feelings by manipulating people, things, and events on the outside. Much of the need to do this arises from our own childhoods from the experiences we have had in our own families of origin. Perhaps our most basic needs for love and nurturing were not met in those early family encounters. Or we may have been smothered by overzealous caretakers who did not allow us to mature emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Such dysfunctional families, whether they involved open or veiled abuse, may be the original source of our codependent pain. This early codependent vacuum becomes the root of our later adult addictions.

Our loss of closeness within our own families may extend to a feeling of alienation from a second important family the spiritual family. We may not feel comfortable with God as Father and may feel a lack of acceptance from those who should be our brothers and sisters in God's family. After all, if we cannot experience healthy, loving relationships within our own families, why should God or people on the outside love and care for us.

Therefore, our healing must progress across several dimensions:

We have to heal our human relationships, and that means healing both the past painful memories from the dysfunctional family of origin and our contemporary relationships as well.

We must choose a recovery family. This can be a support group, a Twelve Step group, or a church community, but we need a new, healthy chosen family.

We need to rejoin and grow closer to God in the spiritual family. Both the church and recovery groups, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and Emotions Anonymous, support us in this growth.

It is critical that we heal our dependencies, not only for ourselves but also for the sake of our children. Psychologists believe that codependency is a love hunger that can be transmitted from generation to generation. Emotionally dysfunctional families beget codependent adult children, who then create their own dysfunctional families and beget more dysfunctional children.

There are healing solutions to this love hunger. Both the Twelve Steps and the Bible speak to the human hunger and neediness that result from codependency hunger that is emotional and spiritual in nature. To appreciate the biblical foundations of the Twelve Steps, review with us the history of this approach to healing.

Good on ya real..

I started these steps before I began to get a grip on what My behavior was. Since then, God has revealed a little to me each day somehow. But I have to work these steps. I had to lean on God and ask for wisdom and be humble enough to share and admit my wrongs and defects. I really didn't stated growing as fast as I wanted to until I found this site and began to share and got my mind off myself and God gave me a burden to help others who suffer. Have to give it away to keep it. Rome wasn't built in a day so the process of healing is daily. Dieing to my will and ask for God's will and learn of Him and learn to love Him, then I begin to have love for others. it's really amazing how God has transformed me and my thing. Not perfect but am real as to what I share. I read and see your post and comments and can see growth in you and has been a blessing to me. I only wish I could stay here full time to listen and help others. God has blessed me by His Grace and love and now I can no longer live in darkness but see sunshine. BY studying His Word and praying several times a day I have grown very much. And am always anxious too see what and how God will work the next day. I encourage the COOL studies and Many Called Few Chosen program. Plant God's Word in your heart and it will not be void. I know you see and feel God working here at this site by what you share. You are an asset here and want to thank you for being here for me and others. GBU and luv ya. Real

I felt a need to repost this,as we apply these steps and principles daily. Print them off if you wish and feel free to post any concerns and questions. If I can not answer, I know ONE who can! We all have time that we need to express what is REALLY going on within. I pray that these forums will begin a healing process within. We are here for the hurting souls because most of us have been there and are healing each day. Takes one to know one huh? Luv you all. Feel free to contact us if you need us. Real.

(The Long Form)


Our A.A. experience has taught us that:
1. Each member of Alcoholics Anonymous is but a small part of a great whole. A.A. must continue to live or most of us will surely die. Hence our common welfare comes first. But individual welfare follows close afterward.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.

3. Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. group, provided that, as a group, they have no other
affiliation.

4. With respect to its own affairs, each A.A. group should be responsible to no other authority than its own conscience. But when its plans concern the welfare of neighboring groups also, those groups ought to be consulted. And no group, regional committee, or individual should ever take any action that might greatly affect A.A. as a whole without conferring with the trustees of the General Service Board. On such issues our common welfare is paramount.

5. Each Alcoholics Anonymous group ought to be a spiritual entity having but one primary purpose that of carrying its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.

6. Problems of money, property, and authority may easily divert us from our primary spiritual aim. We think, therefore, that any considerable property of genuine use to A.A. should be separately incorporated and managed, thus dividing the material from the spiritual. An A.A. group, as such, should never go into business. Secondary aids to A.A., such as clubs or hospitals which require much property or administration, ought to be incorporated and so set apart that, if necessary, they can be freely discarded by the groups. Hence such facilities ought not to use the A.A. name. Their management should be the sole responsibility of those people who financially support them. For clubs, A.A. managers are usually preferred. But hospitals, as well as other places of recuperation, ought to be well outside A.A. and medically supervised. While an A.A. group may cooperate with anyone, such cooperation ought never go so far as affiliation or endorsement, actual or implied. An A.A. group can bind itself to no one.

7. The A.A. groups themselves ought to be fully supported by the voluntary contributions of their own mem-
bers. We think that each group should soon achieve this ideal; that any public solicitation of funds using the name of Alcoholics Anonymous is highly dangerous, whether by groups, clubs, hospitals, or other outside agencies; that acceptance of large gifts from any source, or of contributions carrying any obligation whatever, is unwise. Then too, we view with much concern those A.A. treasuries which continue, beyond prudent reserves, to accumulate funds for no stated A.A. purpose. Experience has often warned us that nothing can so surely destroy our spiritual heritage as futile disputes over property, money, and authority.

8. Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional. We define professionalism as the occupation of counseling alcoholics for fees or hire. But we may employ alcoholics where they are going to perform those services for which we might otherwise have to engage nonalcoholics. Such special services may be well recompensed. But our usual A.A. 12 Step

i am just starting theys steps it is hard to feel reach inside you and find that you are powerless and let god do his work in you it hard when everyone around you seems to be doing the oppisit and you know that its wrong and for you to be able to be the different one out of everyone that seems to be my problem is that i have a hard time trying to be the one that can start these steps and keep following them not fall again

It is important to work these steps daily if you qualify or even want to enhance your life.
You put in what you get out.
May Grace abound with each of you with your problems!

Luv ya,


Real

Well kinda funny I was led back to the Oasis tonight and thought I'd peek at this forum, and Realy Bug had posted something I needed to be reminded of

For those who don't know me, I've been around the Oasis for several years but more on hiatus the past year or so. Many of my Oasis friends know of my past struggles with addictions, and multiple ones at that. Sex, alcohol, food, and now God is putting the way I handle my money on my heart. In becoming involved with a Christian based financial class to learn to budget, save, pay off debt, etc, etc, etc, I am realizing this has been another big sin in my life for many years. And it is proving to be very HARD to change my ways with my money...

Soooo I am thinking and praying on using the Steps to help as well. I've been using other things to help with the other addictions but oy, I think I just need to work them for my whole life in general

But, Realy is right on... I can attest as well, the Steps WORK... and in you and your Father's own time... so be patient and try not to get frustrated and enjoy the ride... and the time with our Lord

Susi

hello, my name is john glad to meet you all. I have been saved sinse 1986 and God set me freee from everything destructive in my life at that time. Then 5 years later i jioned the military and anded up far from the Lord, now im out of the military and i know im born again acourding to his word, yet i still struggle with drinking, and sexual sin, I just want to be free from my bondage but its been with me a long time and i hate it!

johnb,
I relate to you as I have slipped many times during my past. Staying sober is not easy as you know. Admitting you have a problem with both issues is the most important step. We have to put staying staying sober first in our lives. Only God can help us and if we will work at this, He will put others in our life to help us. It takes one to know one.

By the way, Welcome to Oasis!

Study the steps and work them. I am always close and you can private message me at any time. I'll be there for you.
There is also a Chat Program called Real Solutions on Thursday nights at 9 PM eastern in the chatroom dealing with these issues.

Prayer is very important even tho we may not feel it gets off the ground. God knows our hearts.

I may also suggest a 14 day CCCC program that is of great help to get closer to the Lord and help find out what one needs to do to walk closer to HIM.>>>>>> http://www.christianityoasis.com/CCCC/Forum.htm

You are not alone here some of us suffer or have suffered from the same thing.
The healing will come as you work at it and seek His face daily.

Put the plug in the jug for today.
Tomorrow is a new day.
Grace, God's gift for us.

I live One Day At A Time!

My prayers will be with you.

I am glad God led you here.

Feel free to go into chat and ask questions on how to do things on this site as people here care and will be happy to help you.

In Christ's love,

Real......