The Twelve Steps and Tao

[Aaron]

Hello people,

 

What follows is my attempt to rephrase the twelve steps so that they can be better understood as they relate to other philosophies. My attempt was not to rephrase them so that they were exclusive to one philosophy or another, but rather to carry the general message that is expressed in the Twelve Steps in a way that is easier to understand and follow for someone who is not familiar or comfortable with the concept of God.

 

I understand that this might be uncomfortable to some who believe that the twelve steps are perfect the way they are, but I would urge those who have worked these steps and found them to be beneficial to their recovery to take an earnest look at these rewritten steps and add your honest ideas in regards to how I rephrased them, keeping in mind that we should try to stick to what is genuine to their original purpose.

 

Twelve Steps to Recovery

 

1) We came to understand that we had a problem that we could not control and that our lives were out of control.

 

2) We came to understand that there was a way that could return sanity to our lives.

 

3) We learned that there was another Way to live and decided to follow that Way.

 

4) We made an honest and complete investigation of ourselves.

 

5) We shared what we had discovered about ourselves with another.

 

6) We became willing to change the way we behaved.

 

7) We began to follow another Way.

 

8) We examined the effects our lives have had on others and were willing to make amends to those people we had harmed.

 

9) We made direct amends to people we had harmed, when we could, except when to do so would cause more harm to those people.

 

10) Having learned to examine our actions, we continued to do so, admitting when we were doing something that harmed ourselves or others and tried to stop those harmful actions.

 

11) Sought to deepen our understanding of ourselves through reflection and meditation, so that we could improve our connection with the world, seeking knowledge of what was beneficial for ourselves and others.

 

12) Having come to an awareness as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others who suffered, and practice these principle in every aspect of our lives.

 

--------------

 

Again, I am not set in stone on what I've written. This is not an attempt to promote my own views, but rather to gather ideas from others regarding this rephrasing, in the hopes of making them easier to understand, so that they can help those who suffer from addiction. If you don't think that they need to be rewritten, then you don't need to state that, I already know there are people that don't believe that they need to be rewritten and stating that again isn't going to change my mind. What I am looking for is input from others who agree that there is a need to incorporate other views and make the steps more accessible to those other views. Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Aaron

 

Edited to add- If you would like to talk to me about this while remaining anonymous, please feel free to PM or PM me for my email and I will be happy to talk to you in private, your anonymity is safe with me.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Twinner

[fizix]

Maybe this alternative "Taoist distortion" attempt of the 12 steps could have some mediocre efficiency on some pseudo-alcoholics, but try to use this steps practically in the case of, say example, an IV heroin addict and well that is just laughable. The concept of a higher power is the fundamental key principle that saves people in AA/NA. The Taoist path is difficult and elusive, hardly for the faint of heart...let alone a person whose life is in shambles and ruin due to addiction... this whole thread is laughable, stop trying to be original and inventive and revolutionary you are not helping anyone but your ego,.

Edited December 12, 2010 by fizix

[Aaron]

Maybe this alternative Taoist attempt of the 12 steps could have some mediocre efficiency on some housewife alcoholics, but try to use this steps practically in the case of, say example, an IV heroin addict and well that is just laughable. The concept of a higher power is the fundamental key

 

I can see that your concept of a higher power is very narrow. Are you saying the Tao isn't a higher power? By the way, this kind of comment is the exact reason I am doing this, to break free from the absolutism that is presented in AA and allow people the freedom to determine what they should believe, rather than be told what to believe. With that said, if you want to debate this idea, please take it somewhere else. I've neither the inclination or patience to debate something that we will not agree on. I am looking for people that are willing to help with this project, not make snide comments or promote their own agendas.

 

Aaron

[fizix]

Are you saying the Tao isn't a higher power?

Actually, if you really want to go to there; yeah sure, I can say that the Tao isn't a higher power; let me ask you, what is the Tao higher than in that case? The Tao isnt a higher power just as it isnt lower, it isnt anything, yet it is everything, so how could you describe it in such dualistic terms? The Tao is non-dual. Your attempts are admirable, but not pragmatic AT ALL.

[Starjumper]

I think it's really well done and opens it up just the way you had in mind. It appears to be aligned well with most true spiritual paths (NOT religions).

[Aaron]

Actually, if you really want to go to there; yeah sure, I can say that the Tao isn't a higher power; let me ask you, what is the Tao higher than in that case? The Tao isnt a higher power just as it isnt lower, it isnt anything, yet it is everything, so how could you describe it in such dualistic terms? The Tao is non-dual. Your attempts are admirable, but not pragmatic AT ALL.

 

Really? Semantics? You know the meaning of "higher" yet you're resorting to semantics in an attempt to prove you're right. Everyone should decide what they can consider to be the way to recovery, whether it's the Tao, the concept of good, Buddha, or Christ. I have been sober for five years and I never once believed in "God" as I understood him (because I don't understand the concept of God). Again, if you don't like this idea, then ignore it, but don't try to keep this going. It's going to happen, whether you like it or not. Accept the things you can't change and move on.

 

Aaron

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

I like it, and will reply more when I have the time.

 

The Classic Twelve Steps works beautifully for some people, works in a modified form for others and not at all for many.

I particularly dislike when fundamentalist 12-Steppers say that their way is the only way.

 

Another thing I don't accept is the taking on of labels: 'Hi my name is Jeremy and I'm an alcoholic/addict'. It is essential for the fundamentalists, but doesn't need to be a part of everyone's recovery. If you object to this, you're "in denial". I wonder how you feel about the taking on the permanent identity of an addict in your model, Twinner?

 

BTW, for an non-Judeo-Christian organization, nearly every meeting that I have attended ends not with the Serenity Prayer, but with the Lord's Prayer. There is definite bias, despite the protests that "your higher power can be anything, even a doorknob". I have voiced objections about it, but everyone just thinks I'm being cranky and ignores me and does the 'Our Father' thing anyway.

Edited December 12, 2010 by TheSongsofDistantEarth

[Aaron]

Thanks Starjumper and TSoDE I appreciate the feedback and look forward to any ideas of suggestions you might have regarding this project. I really don't want this to be my interpretation, but rather an interpretation that includes the inputs of others in recovery, so that it does follow the genuine intent of the twelve steps.

 

Aaron

[Aaron]

I like it, and will reply more when I have the time.

 

The Classic Twelve Steps works beautifully for some people, works in a modified form for others and not at all for many.

I particularly dislike when fundamentalist 12-Steppers say that their way is the only way.

 

Another thing I don't accept is the taking on of labels: 'Hi my name is Jeremy and I'm an alcoholic/addict'. It is essential for the fundamentalists, but doesn't need to be a part of everyone's recovery. If you object to this, you're "in denial". I wonder how you feel about the taking on the permanent identity of an addict in your model, Twinner?

 

BTW, for an non-Judeo-Christian organization, nearly every meeting that I have attended ends not with the Serenity Prayer, but with the Lord's Prayer. There is definite bias, despite the protests that "your higher power can be anything, even a doorknob". I have voiced objections about it, but everyone just thinks I'm being cranky and ignores me and does the 'Our Father' thing anyway.

 

 

Hello TSoDE,

 

I don't think it's necessary to identify yourself as one thing or another, in fact I think it is just as beneficial to say "Hi my name is Aaron and I'm here because I can't stop drinking" or "Hi my name is Aaron and I come here because I couldn't stop drinking". I think the labels are meant to encourage a sense of community more than help a person to identify themselves as an addict or alcoholic. Most people, if they're in the rooms, tend to understand they have a problem, there's really no need (in my opinion) to state in their introduction what they are.

 

My first goal is to get a working 12 steps going, once that's done I would love to talk about these kinds of things. I think there's a lot of change that's needed to allow the Twelve Steps to be truly universal.

 

Aaron

Edited December 12, 2010 by Twinner

[Birch]

I like it. I think the idea of "higher than ourselves" is neat because it helps someone whose (IMO) often fake self is floundering to hitch on to something else (a raft).

 

However, at some point, the fake self gives way to the real (or we "realise").And at that point, I don't believe the group (however supportive) would be necessarily the best thing for someone. Especially since realization seems to have this weird quality of leading you away from groupthinking...

 

I'm also not sure that the label helps particularly, as it drives someone into a specific line of consciousness - which IMO (and small experience) is actually what is initially sought liberation from. So any stance taken as "I am an XYZ" seems problematic to me. It's one of those "good for everyone else" ideas, I guess.

 

So I reckon I take the "teach people the skills" route and trust they will find what they need.

[Aaron]

I like it. I think the idea of "higher than ourselves" is neat because it helps someone whose (IMO) often fake self is floundering to hitch on to something else (a raft).

 

However, at some point, the fake self gives way to the real (or we "realise").And at that point, I don't believe the group (however supportive) would be necessarily the best thing for someone. Especially since realization seems to have this weird quality of leading you away from groupthinking...

 

I'm also not sure that the label helps particularly, as it drives someone into a specific line of consciousness - which IMO (and small experience) is actually what is initially sought liberation from. So any stance taken as "I am an XYZ" seems problematic to me. It's one of those "good for everyone else" ideas, I guess.

 

So I reckon I take the "teach people the skills" route and trust they will find what they need.

 

Hello Kate,

 

On one level you're right, but the fact is that most people in recovery at one point realize that recovery isn't just about recovering from an addiction, but also figuring out how to live in a world that is still the same without the addiction. In order to be able to succeed in recovery one must figure out what caused them to resort to an addiction and how to cope with life on life's terms. Some people believe that once you are an addict you will always be an addict, and that is true, in the sense that you can never ever use the substance you recovered from again without risking returning to your old behaviors. In that sense, one never recovers from an addiction, but they do recover from the symptoms of the addiction. That's the reason why it's so necessary to find a higher power or way, because that higher power or way helps to change the way the addict sees life and hence to see things in a different light. To simply state that this is what needs to be done is pointless though, because knowing and doing are two different things.

 

Most people will never successfully recover without the aid of someone else, preferably someone who has also been an addict, to aid them in their recovery, to show them the meaning of the steps and how they actually practiced the steps to recover. With that done, one should no longer need another to guide them in recovery, but rather they should be taught to fish, and not need the teacher to feed them.

 

I would never recommend someone try to recover on their own. It's best to find someone to help them on the path of recovery, if not for the simple reason that they're there for support in case it's needed, then also so that the recovered person can teach them the lessons they've learned.

 

Aaron

Edited December 13, 2010 by Twinner

[Aaron]

Hello people,

 

It has been suggested by someone anonymously, that, "4) We made an honest and complete investigation of ourselves." Might be better explained as, "4) We made an honest and fearless investigation of ourselves."

 

I think both words urge the same practice, but I saw complete as being more important than fearless. In other words if someone did a complete examination, one could assume that it would also be fearless. Input in regards to this would be appreciated.

 

Aaron

[Ryan T.]

Maybe this alternative "Taoist distortion" attempt of the 12 steps could have some mediocre efficiency on some pseudo-alcoholics, but try to use this steps practically in the case of, say example, an IV heroin addict and well that is just laughable. The concept of a higher power is the fundamental key principle that saves people in AA/NA. The Taoist path is difficult and elusive, hardly for the faint of heart...let alone a person whose life is in shambles and ruin due to addiction... this whole thread is laughable, stop trying to be original and inventive and revolutionary you are not helping anyone but your ego,.

 

Most, if not all, threads involve a certain amount of ego on the part of those starting them. So that part of the comment seems both banal and, to some extent, a rib meant to create conflict.

 

As far as the rest of it. You don't know what you are talking about. I have known folks in "The Program" who have gotten and stayed sober with just this kind of spirituality. You will see it phrased often times as "Higher Power" but you will also see it as a "Power greater than ourselves". I would have to think that most "true Taoists" see the Tao as a power greater than themselves.

 

And Tao, from my limited understanding, has very much the same concept, also from my limited understanding, as the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

They are both simple paths. But neither are easy.

 

I personally don't see the need to Tao-ize the Twelve Steps. I think like so many other spiritual systems and ideas the Steps open the door to Tao. But it seems me, at least in the spirit of recovery, an unwise idea to try to cut down other folks attempts to be useful and of service to others.

[Everything]

In my observation of the world I find no steps to the Tao. There is no ultimate way to the Eternal Tao, there is no ultimate way. Mysteries are never ending, solutions are in infinite varieties.

 

The 12 steps are in my observation a nice thought, but the real world shows a cycle of 6/7 stages. In my observation:

 

Stage 1: Guy is idealistic. (Commited to one path)

Stage 2: Guy is frustrated. (Things are not the way it suppose to be in his eyes)

Stage 3: Guy is defiant. (Angry and seems to always win arguments with people who are trying to help them.)

Stage 4: Guy is resigned. (stops arguing, seeks new positive believes.)

Stage 5: Guy is aware. (Mind sees all the new possibilities!)

Stage 6: Guy is decisive. (Picks one path, one way of things)

Cycle starts again... Stage 7 is stage 1

Stage 7/1: Guy is committed. (Idealistic about one path)

Guy becomes frustrated again, etcetera...

 

Stage 7 and 1 seem to be the most desirable, but staying here too long will get you out of balance. It is not natural. Staying between stage 5 and 6, will set you in an infinite uprising to a better understanding of the way of things. Be decisive, but allways remain aware of all new posibilities. Never become to stuck with one truth.

Edited December 13, 2010 by Everything

[Aaron]

In my observation of the world I find no steps to the Tao. There is no ultimate way to the Eternal Tao, there is no ultimate way. Mysteries are never ending, solutions are in infinite varieties.

 

The 12 steps are in my observation a nice thought, but the real world shows a cycle of 6/7 stages. In my observation:

 

Stage 1: Guy is idealistic. (Commited to one path)

Stage 2: Guy is frustrated. (Things are not the way it suppose to be in his eyes)

Stage 3: Guy is defiant. (Angry and seems to always win arguments with people who are trying to help them.)

Stage 4: Guy is resigned. (stops arguing, seeks new positive believes.)

Stage 5: Guy is aware. (Mind sees all the new possibilities!)

Stage 6: Guy is decisive. (Picks one path, one way of things)

Cycle starts again... Stage 7 is stage 1

Stage 7/1: Guy is committed. (Idealistic about one path)

Guy becomes frustrated again, etcetera...

 

Stage 7 and 1 seem to be the most desirable, but staying here too long will get you out of balance. It is not natural. Staying between stage 5 and 6, will set you in an infinite uprising to a better understanding of the way of things. Be decisive, but allways remain aware of all new posibilities. Never become to stuck with one truth.

 

 

There are no steps to the Tao, so you are right, but there is a program of recovery that is based on steps, that's where the steps come from.

 

Aaron

[Birch]

Hello Kate,

 

On one level you're right, but the fact is that most people in recovery at one point realize that recovery isn't just about recovering from an addiction, but also figuring out how to live in a world that is still the same without the addiction. In order to be able to succeed in recovery one must figure out what caused them to resort to an addiction and how to cope with life on life's terms. Some people believe that once you are an addict you will always be an addict, and that is true, in the sense that you can never ever use the substance you recovered from again without risking returning to your old behaviors. In that sense, one never recovers from an addiction, but they do recover from the symptoms of the addiction. That's the reason why it's so necessary to find a higher power or way, because that higher power or way helps to change the way the addict sees life and hence to see things in a different light. To simply state that this is what needs to be done is pointless though, because knowing and doing are two different things.

 

Most people will never successfully recover without the aid of someone else, preferably someone who has also been an addict, to aid them in their recovery, to show them the meaning of the steps and how they actually practiced the steps to recover. With that done, one should no longer need another to guide them in recovery, but rather they should be taught to fish, and not need the teacher to feed them.

 

I would never recommend someone try to recover on their own. It's best to find someone to help them on the path of recovery, if not for the simple reason that they're there for support in case it's needed, then also so that the recovered person can teach them the lessons they've learned.

 

Aaron

 

 

Thanks for the ideas Aaron. I don't know 12 step programmes myself but I do know some "steppers" and I suppose I must have met them at various stages on their way, but to be honest, the ones I have met (not very many, just so you know) I haven't found particularly happy about having quit their addiction. I guess I wonder why that is.

 

I think what you say here "most people in recovery at one point realize that recovery isn't just about recovering from an addiction.but also figuring out how to live in a world that is still the same without the addiction."

 

Do the 12 steps go that far? Because IMO and IME (I quit smoking) a world without addiction is an entirely different world. Because a self without an addiction is an entirely different self.

 

It would be unfortunate IMO if you got people to give up an addiction and didn't help them see that part. That would really suck. And also creepily point to something uncool about the programme that I can't quite put my finger on right now.

 

I like the idea of asking "why?". "Why am I doing this to myself"? The 12 steps start off without any questioning. I wonder why that is?

[Aaron]

Thanks for the ideas Aaron. I don't know 12 step programmes myself but I do know some "steppers" and I suppose I must have met them at various stages on their way, but to be honest, the ones I have met (not very many, just so you know) I haven't found particularly happy about having quit their addiction. I guess I wonder why that is.

 

I think what you say here "most people in recovery at one point realize that recovery isn't just about recovering from an addiction.but also figuring out how to live in a world that is still the same without the addiction."

 

Do the 12 steps go that far? Because IMO and IME (I quit smoking) a world without addiction is an entirely different world. Because a self without an addiction is an entirely different self.

 

It would be unfortunate IMO if you got people to give up an addiction and didn't help them see that part. That would really suck. And also creepily point to something uncool about the programme that I can't quite put my finger on right now.

 

I like the idea of asking "why?". "Why am I doing this to myself"? The 12 steps start off without any questioning. I wonder why that is?

 

Hello Kate,

 

The world for me was so much better when I gave up drinking (even if it took awhile to realize it). There's this saying in recovery that many people have a hard time understanding at first, "I will neither regret the past, nor wish to shut the door on it." For me this rings true, I am completely happy without alcohol. I have no desire to drink, even in the midst of a party. I honestly have no regrets about what's happened in my life, because what's happened has gotten me to the place I am today. I will not shut the door on my past, because I try to live a life of rigorous honesty and compassion, one that requires that I face the things that I've done, accept them and try to correct those things that I can.

 

What the program is about, at it's core, is teaching people to live life on life's terms. In order to do that, they need to learn to live again, rather than wake up and do the same thing they've been doing that got them to the place they are. As far as why are they doing what they are doing? Well that question isn't so easy to come to for most people, but if people are painstaking and thorough, they do come to that awareness. Before they can come to that awareness, they need to first recognize that something is wrong, without that, very few people are motivated to make the kinds of changes that are necessary to recover from an addiction.

 

I've seen amazing things happen in recovery, not only in my own life, but in the lives of others who have recovered. As someone stated, the twelve steps as they are, work for many people, my goal isn't to reach the people that it works for, but rather to present the steps in a way that can work for those people that the twelve steps can't reach.

 

Most people in AA don't feel comfortable talking about these sorts of things, because there's a sort of code of silence, one that assumes the only people that can truly understand what the steps are about are those who are suffering from an addiction. I don't believe that. I think the steps can work for anyone and that they can be incorporated into any spiritual path to help someone understand themselves on a deeper level. Anyways, I've probably said enough. If you have any more questions, please feel free to ask.

 

Aaron

Edited December 14, 2010 by Twinner

[3L3VAT3]

Personally, as an ex IV heroin addict whose in the program...

I like the proposed changes for the simple fact that there are a lot of people that get turned off by the wording of the way it is now...

As long as the underlying message is the same (which i believe dude did a good job of extracting the essence, from what little i know)then it can only be a good thing.

 

A lot of people get turned off and leave because of all the god-talk and 12-step Nazis...

I used to HATE going to meetings, and not just because i wanted to use... i thought it was total bullshit until i (luckily was desperate/lucky enough to) stick around long enough to have other people explain it a little different to me. I was like "oh THATS what that step means!! WHY didn't you guys just say it like that?" I could have easily died in the time when i started coming to meetings to when i started GETTING IT! Anything that makes it more accessible... HELL that's part of the reason why they do bowling nights and make coffee and shit, just to get the addicts in the room

 

Even among people with LOTS of clean time there is still some individual interpretation of the existing steps with things like "oh, it says we 'came to make a decision' not 'we made a decision' or 'we HAD a spiritaul awakening' not 'WILL HAVE a spiritual awakening'... so people are going to get what they want out of regardless...

 

The 12 steps are NOT EASY, they may be simple though...

 

But i think that the Taoist breakdown is very good! KUDOS!!

[Aaron]

Personally, as an ex IV heroin addict whose in the program...

I like the proposed changes for the simple fact that there are a lot of people that get turned off by the wording of the way it is now...

As long as the underlying message is the same (which i believe dude did a good job of extracting the essence, from what little i know)then it can only be a good thing.

 

A lot of people get turned off and leave because of all the god-talk and 12-step Nazis...

I used to HATE going to meetings, and not just because i wanted to use... i thought it was total bullshit until i (luckily was desperate/lucky enough to) stick around long enough to have other people explain it a little different to me. I was like "oh THATS what that step means!! WHY didn't you guys just say it like that?" I could have easily died in the time when i started coming to meetings to when i started GETTING IT! Anything that makes it more accessible... HELL that's part of the reason why they do bowling nights and make coffee and shit, just to get the addicts in the room

 

Even among people with LOTS of clean time there is still some individual interpretation of the existing steps with things like "oh, it says we 'came to make a decision' not 'we made a decision' or 'we HAD a spiritaul awakening' not 'WILL HAVE a spiritual awakening'... so people are going to get what they want out of regardless...

 

The 12 steps are NOT EASY, they may be simple though...

 

But i think that the Taoist breakdown is very good! KUDOS!!

 

 

Thanks for your comments 3l3vat3, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who feels a need for something like this.

 

Aaron

[fiveelementtao]

I suppose it depends on the context. The 12 steps were hashed and re-hashed over and over again by the founders of AA for years until they found the version that worked best for Alcoholics. So, I guess there is no wrong way to write the steps and it is certainly logical to assume that other versions would work well for other people.

From what I've been told by people in AA, the idea of a higher power is crucial for the alcoholic mindset. As I have been told by my friends, The main issue with recovering alcoholics is getting their egos out of the way so that spiritual concepts can take hold and supersede the instinct for alcohol. They have told me that it is also made clear that the phrase "God as you understand Him" can mean absolutely anything and that the alcoholic is encouraged to experiment with the idea of god and can mean anything including a doorknob, a lightbulb, a deity or an idea. It doesn't matter as long as the alcoholic is willing to get rid of the old idea that was not working for them... I have also been told that making alcoholics comfortable is not necessarily the best thing for this process to occur. So, maybe part of the process of wrestling with the aspect of "higher power" that makes them uncomfortble in the first place may even hold within it the answer to overcoming their addiction.

Since the steps were originally designed for recovering from alcohol addiction, it had a pretty specific focus.

Having said that, I would agree that the principles in the steps can probably be tweeked around for other purposes based on the specific needs of those people...

 

Anyway, I am no expert in this area. just floating thoughts about...

[manitou]

Twinner - I think your steps are perfect for someone who has already evolved from the Jesus Loves Me This I Know mindset. If someone who is more sophisticated in their spiritual concepts still has an alcohol problem, these are the steps for them!

[TheSongsofDistantEarth]

Twinner, I think your revised 12 steps are really good and necessary, perhaps with time there may be further revisions. Rather than let this thread fade out, perhaps we can turn the discussion towards what the implications of adopting this view. Like the example I gave earlier of the taking on of the identity of an alcoholic. And might this interpretation draw some of those who are 'allergic' to the official 12 step dogma?

[Aaron]

Twinner, I think your revised 12 steps are really good and necessary, perhaps with time there may be further revisions. Rather than let this thread fade out, perhaps we can turn the discussion towards what the implications of adopting this view. Like the example I gave earlier of the taking on of the identity of an alcoholic. And might this interpretation draw some of those who are 'allergic' to the official 12 step dogma?

 

I think one of the issues I have with the traditional steps is the idea of a "moral inventory". They try to soften it in places, but overall it is still a "moral inventory", not a list of character defects. In my mind as soon as you throw the word "moral" in their, you are saying that alcoholism arises from immorality. I've never believed that. I think alcoholism arises, not of immorality, not out of fear, but out of suffering. One practices and addiction because they suffer, even if they are not aware of their suffering. The practice of the addiction is a distraction, it allows one to escape the suffering for a period of time. I don't think that immorality plays a part in this suffering, rather our actions play a part in it.

 

Anyways that's just one area where I disagree with the general consensus. If we wanted to really discuss this, perhaps we should start with the alternate step one?

 

We came to understand that we had a problem that we could not control and that our lives were out of control.

 

So how does this differ from the current thinking about the step?

 

Aaron

Edited December 15, 2010 by Twinner

[Encephalon]

I think one of the issues I have with the traditional steps is the idea of a "moral inventory". They try to soften it in places, but overall it is still a "moral inventory", not a list of character defects. In my mind as soon as you throw the word "moral" in their, you are saying that alcoholism arises from immorality. I've never believed that. I think alcoholism arises, not of immorality, not out of fear, but out of suffering. One practices and addiction because they suffer, even if they are not aware of their suffering. The practice of the addiction is a distraction, it allows one to escape the suffering for a period of time. I don't think that immorality plays a part in this suffering, rather our actions play a part in it.

 

Anyways that's just one area where I disagree with the general consensus. If we wanted to really discuss this, perhaps we should start with the alternate step one?

 

We came to understand that we had a problem that we could not control and that our lives were out of control.

 

So how does this differ from the current thinking about the step?

 

Aaron

 

I was moved to chime in here. (I was hoping to honor my self-imposed ban from TTB until 02/11 but this is a subject that is dear to my heart.)

 

Thanks for starting this thread. As has already been said in here, the 12 Steps are just fine as they are for a certain temperament, but are in need of some revision for a lot of good reasons. Just one revision, as you stated, is the moralistic tone AA takes toward alcoholism, when in fact it has more to do with suffering. In Buddhist parlance, addiction is attachment run riot, attachment to that which obliterates the pain of suffering.

 

I like your revisions. There are many others that have been published, mostly by the Buddhist Recovery community but there are a few showing up with Taoist titles too. With regard to step two, a tough one for many, my favorite wording is --

We came to believe that a power greater than our own ego could restore us to sanity.

This opens up the field to include those who have an affinity for a traditional western monotheistic tradition but also includes all that is within us minus our egocentrism: our sense of awe and wonder, our hopes and dreams, aspirations, and ecological awareness with the totality of life.

 

My own path makes abundant use of Buddhist psychology because of its explanatory power, but I am most definitely Taoist when it comes to my Higher Power. George Lucas made talking about the Tao almost sound foolish after he turned it into "The Force," but the Tao really was his model.

 

Thanks again for starting this thread.

Edited December 16, 2010 by Blasto

[fiveelementtao]

I think one of the issues I have with the traditional steps is the idea of a "moral inventory". They try to soften it in places, but overall it is still a "moral inventory", not a list of character defects. In my mind as soon as you throw the word "moral" in their, you are saying that alcoholism arises from immorality. I've never believed that. I think alcoholism arises, not of immorality, not out of fear, but out of suffering. One practices and addiction because they suffer, even if they are not aware of their suffering. The practice of the addiction is a distraction, it allows one to escape the suffering for a period of time. I don't think that immorality plays a part in this suffering, rather our actions play a part in it.

 

Anyways that's just one area where I disagree with the general consensus. If we wanted to really discuss this, perhaps we should start with the alternate step one?

 

We came to understand that we had a problem that we could not control and that our lives were out of control.

 

So how does this differ from the current thinking about the step?

 

Aaron

 

I understand where you are coming from. The wording of the fourth step has led many IMO to misunderstand the real function of that step. In reality, it is not a moral inventory. Many people mistake the word "moral" to mean the step requires hundreds of pages of rehashing one's life or examining the "bad deeds" they have done. In actuality none of that is in the big book concerning that step.

 

The step is really very brief when done according to the big book. It is about honestly examining one's resentments and the incorrect attitudes and expectations that triggered those resentments. In AA, they talk about how resentments are the #1 cause of drinking and re-lapse.

 

If #4 were to be reworded, another possibility might be,

 

"made a searching and fearless examination of the self-imposed causes of all our resentments."