Why are the 12 Steps in the order they are? To me, coming into SA, they just seemed so random. I didn’t care. I just did what I was told to do to get sober. I’m of the mind that it is NOT critical to understand why the Steps are the way they are at the start. But, as the Step 9 promise goes, “we will suddenly understand situations which used to baffle us.” I think that goes for the mysteries of the Steps too as we progress in sobriety.

Here is my brief explanation as to why the Steps are the way they are. Steps 1-3 are all about giving hope to the hopeless. They help me see I’m not alone, that there are others like me, and that somehow those others have managed to find some level of victory where I have experienced only demoralizing defeat. They help me to see there is a Higher Power that cares about me and my sobriety.

Steps 4-9 are about getting all the junk out of the way so I can have a relationship with my Higher Power. As an addict, I am harboring too much shame, guilt, fear and anger to be able to have a healthy relationship with anyone, let alone a Higher Power. I separate the truth from the fiction by setting it all out in front of me, using feedback from a more experienced, sane member to see more clearly. I become willing to let go of my defects and do the best I can to make up for my past wrongs to other people.

Step 10 is about doing all the above on a daily basis to keep me from piling up all the junk again. I’m not perfect, nor will I ever be. I am constantly piling up junk and tossing it out.

Step 11 is me getting to know my Higher Power. This is the point of our program. My Higher Power wants me to trust Him completely with all aspects of my life. The extent to which I can do this determines the quality of my life. In other words, the quality of my life, of my sobriety, depends not on circumstances but on my understanding and doing the will of my Higher Power. I learn of his will and gain the willingness to carry it out through Step 11.

Step 12 is helping other people learn how to achieve the same Higher Power relationship. When I share the truth of that relationship, I accomplish my true purpose in life. There is no higher calling than being asked to pass on the formula for a relationship with the God of the universe to seriously broken people who cannot find it.

I can’t reach what I can’t even see. Steps 1-3 help me to see. I can’t focus on a Higher Power if I am consumed with myself. Steps 4-10 help me to properly refocus. I can’t give what I don’t have. Step 11 helps me to gain that which I am supposed to give away. I can’t keep it unless I give it away. Step 12 helps me to keep that relationship with my Higher Power and everything I’ve gained through it, by guiding others along the same path I walked.