"Although subject to considerable variation, it all boiled down into a pretty consistent procedure which comprised six steps. These were approximately as follows:

1. We admitted that we were licked, that we were powerless over alcohol.

2. We made a preliminary moral inventory of our defects or sins.

3. We confessed or shared our shortcomings with another person in confidence.

4. We made restitution to all those we had harmed by our drinking.

5. We tried to help other alcoholics, with no thought of reward in money or prestige.

6. We prayed to whatever God we thought there was for power to practice these precepts.

This was the substance of what, by the fall of 1938, we were telling newcomers." (Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age: A Brief History of A.A., New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1957, page 160)

It is sometimes said that Bill Wilson was "brilliant" in making the steps available to people of all beliefs by using the expression "as we understood Him." However, Bill Wilson's first draft of the Twelve Steps did not include that phrase or the phrase "Power greater than ourselves." These changes were made later in an attempt to make the Steps more inclusive. Although the first draft of the Twelve Steps has been lost, here's one historian's recreation of these steps:

"Half measures will avail you nothing. You stand at the turning point. Throw yourself under God's protection and care with complete abandon.

Now we think you can take it! Here are the steps we took — our program of recovery:

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

Came to believe that God could restore us to sanity.

Made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Humbly on our knees asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

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

Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs."

(Ernest Kurtz, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous, expanded edition, Center City, MN: Hazeldon, 1991, page 70)

These steps are certainly more "hard core" than the steps that appeared in the published version of the Big Book. Notice in particular the Seventh Step involves getting "on our knees."

Of course, the Twelve Steps were always supposed to be "suggested" and the original window shades said just that. Psychologist B.F. Skinner took at shot at stripping the Twelve Steps of all notions of sprituality. Here's B.F. Skinner's 12 Steps on another web site.

Agnostic A.A. groups in california and New York City (and perhaps elsewhere) use the Agnostic Twelve Steps.

Several years ago, after chairing step meetings for a year, I too tried my hand at re-writing the steps, but only used one hand. These are sometimes known as "Charles's Five Steps":

1. We finally figured out that we could not successfully moderate our drinking, that our use of alcohol was adversely affecting our own lives and those of people around us, and that the only clear choice was complete abstinence from alcohol and other mood-altering drugs.

2. We decided to avail ourselves of the help that other recovering alcoholics were willing to offer us.

3. We came to realize that sharing experiences with other alcoholics could help keep us sober.

4. We sought changes in our lives to the extent necessary to help us stay sober, and to strengthen our inner resources as clear-thinking individuals.

5. We offered help to other alcoholics in the spirit of friendship and solidarity.

-- Charles P.

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