“We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.”¹

— Eighth Step

“Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”¹

— Ninth Step

 

 “[...] If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed before we are half way through. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the world serenity and we will know peace. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows. Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.

“Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us – sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.

“This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. [...]”²

> Are you looking for “The 12 Promises of A.A.”?

 

¹ Extract from the book Alcoholics Anonymous, Fourth Edition, Chapter 5 “How It Works”, page 59. © A.A.W.S. Inc. Reproduced with their permission.

² Ibid., Fourth Edition, Chapter 6 “Into Action”, pages 83, 84 © A.A.W.S. Inc. Reproduced with their permission.