Why Redo the Steps after a relapse, asks Chris

Friday, April 06, 2012

Why redo the Twelve Steps after a relapse, asks Chris

Dear Chris: Thank you for writing and the comments

I can say that, unless one “worships” the Steps rather than calling on God, the process of delaying or repeating the Steps does not square with what Bill wrote or Dr. Bob did.

First, there were no Steps, not six nor twelve nor any when Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob, and A.A. Number Three got sober. That is quite clear from the Conference-approved cofounders pamphlet P-53. As believers and Christians and people who had studied the Bible, each turned to God for help and was cured. They so stated. See Big Book, pp. 179-181, 191 and the articles I have written on how the first three got sober.

Second, in a sense, Clarence Snyder was the first to incorporate with great success the Big Book, the 12 Steps, the Four Absolutes, and the Bible into the Cleveland A.A. very shortly after the Big Book was written. Clarence took his sponsees through the Steps in an afternoon. The Cleveland AAs soon grew from one group to thirty groups in Cleveland. And they had records of a 93% success rate.

Third, one view can certainly be found in these three titles: (1) Dick B., That Amazing Grace, www.dickb.com/titles.shtml. (2) Our Faith Legacy written by three of Clarence’s oldtimer sponsees and compiled and edited by me. www.cametobelieve.org. (3) Mitch K’’s How It Worked.

God bless,

Dick B.

See also: Dick B., The Conversion of Bill W. www.dickb.com/conversion.shtml