Step Nine: "Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others."

When I was first faced with working Step Nine, I thought it was all about the apologies and restitution that the Step suggested. Of course, those amends were significant; I'd...

Step Six: "We're entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character."
Step Seven: "Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings."

Steps Six and Seven can be another stumbling block for someone who doesn't believe in a monotheistic or Abrahamic God. If you don't think that some...

"Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

The recent New York Times article about the 11th Tradition and anonymity stirred up a lot of controversy. But I think the 12th Tradition is ultimately more important.

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Before I got sober I was incredibly defensive about my failings. One thing that was sure to trigger my rage was any negative comment about my personality or behavior. I remember having some terrible fights with my girlfriend in the year or so before I got sober. She was very...

A monthly exploration of addiction and recovery through the lens of Buddhism. Read about Step One and Step Two.

Step Three: Turning It Over

"Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood him."

"Turning our...

"Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."

When I first read the 12 Steps, I thought Step Two was saying, "If you just believe that God will fix you, the power of your faith will take care of everything." This was a very...

A monthly exploration of addiction and recovery through the lens of Buddhism.

Step One: Powerless

"We admitted we were powerless over alcohol [drugs, food, sex, etc.], that our lives had become unmanageable."

People often tell me that they have trouble with the word "powerless" in the first...