Welcome to the Alcoholics Anonymous Christian Workbook and Bible, a resource thoughtfully designed to guide you through meetings, it is a journey of reflection, faith, and spiritual growth. This workbook combines Biblical principles with the transformative steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, offering you a meaningful way to strengthen your faith while working toward recovery. Each meeting is carefully structured to encourage prayer, self-reflection, and journaling, allowing you to connect deeply with God and examine your personal walk with Him.

Over these meetings, you will find prompts and exercises that encourage you to write and reflect. While it may seem like a lot of writing, this process is essential for growth and healing. Writing allows you to process your thoughts, acknowledge your struggles, and celebrate your victories. Think of this workbook as a personal conversation between you and God—a space where honesty and vulnerability lead to restoration and hope.

We’re here to support your journey, and this workbook is a step toward reclaiming both your life and your faith. Let this be an opportunity to grow spiritually, deepen your understanding of God’s Word, and take meaningful strides on your path to recovery. Remember, you are not alone in this journey—God is walking alongside you every step of the way. Let’s get started and see what He has in store for you!

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
   2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
   3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
   4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
   5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
   6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
2. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
   8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
   9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
   10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
   11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
   12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

STEP 1

No-Win Situations

Bible Reading: Genesis 16:1-15

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

Sometimes we are powerless because of our stations in life.  We may be in a situation where other people have power over us.  We may feel that we are trapped by the demands of others and that there’s no way to please them all.  It’s a double bind:  To please one is to disappoint another.  Sometimes when we feel stuck and frustrated with our relationships, we look for a measure of control by escaping through our addictive behaviors.

Hagar is a picture of powerlessness.  She had no rights.  As a girl, she was a servant to Sarai and Abram.  When they were upset because Sarai could not bear children, Hagar was given to Abram as a surrogate.  When she did become pregnant, as they had wanted, Sarai was so jealous that she beat Hagar, and Hagar ran away.  All alone out in the wilderness, she was met by an angel who gave her an amazing message:  “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.’ Then he added, ‘I will give you more descendants than you can count.’ And the angel also said, ‘You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son.  You are to name him Ishmael (which means “God hears”), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress’” (Genesis 16:9-11).

When we are caught in no-win situations, it’s tempting to run away through our addictive/compulsive escape hatches.  At times like these God is there, and he is listening to our woes.  We need to learn to express our pain to God instead of just trying to escape it.  He hears our cries and is willing to give us hope for the future. 

QUESTIONS FOR STEP ONE

No-Win Situations Genesis 16

1. What feelings do I experience as I acknowledge people in my life who have power (such as supervisors, spouse, religious leaders, and sponsors)?
2. What do I try to escape from?  What do I feel trapped by?
3. What are the things I think I can control?  How do I lie to myself, and about what?
4. When things do not go my way or when I am in a no-win situation, what is my reaction (with relationships, work, promotions, kids who question or rebel, traffic, drivers in front of me, people talking on cell phones in public places, financial difficulties, people who hurt or disappoint me, or God who seem to be silent?
5. If I could how would I change my response?

  STEP 1

Dangerous Self-Deception

Bible Reading: Judges 16:1-31

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

When we refuse to admit our powerlessness, we are only deceiving ourselves.  The lies we tell ourselves and others are familiar: “I can stop any time I want to.”  “I’m in control; this one won’t hurt anything.”  And all the while, we are inching closer to disaster.

Samson was one of Israel’s judges.  As a child, he had been dedicated to God, and God had gifted him with supernatural strength.  But Samson had a lifelong weakness-the way he related to women.  Samson was especially blinded to the dangers he faced in his relationship with Delilah.  His enemies were paying her to discover the secret of his strength.  Three times she begged Samson to tell her his secret.  Exact time she set him up and tried to hand him over to the enemy.  Three times Samson lied to her and was able to escape.  But each time he got closer to telling her the truth.  Finally, Samson revealed his secret, was taken captive, and died a slave in enemy hands.

Samson’s real problem can be found in the lies he told himself.  By not admitting his powerlessness, he remained blind to the obvious danger that his pride and desire for beautiful foreign women were leading him into.  This caused him to gradually inch his way toward an untimely death.

We need to be careful not to fall into a similar trap.  As we learn to acknowledge our powerlessness over our addictive/compulsive tendencies daily, we will become more aware of behaviors that will likely lead us to destruction. 

Workbook Questions

DANGEROUS SELF-DECIPTION Judges 16:1-31

1.  What is the longest time I have been able to stop addictive behaviors or using addictive substances?
2. What are some of the reasons I use for starting my behaviors or substance abuse again?
3. What are the things I think I can control?  How do I lie to myself, and about what?
4. What is so scary about telling the truth?
5. As I explore powerlessness, what blind spots have I discovered?
6. What are the results of pride in my life?

STEP 1

A HUMBLE BEGINNING

BIBLE READING: 2 Kings 5:1-15

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

I can be very humiliating to admit that we are powerless, especially if we are used to being in control.  We may be powerful in some areas of our lives, but out of control in terms of our addictive/compulsive behaviors.  If we refuse to admit our powerlessness, we may lose everything.  That one unmanageable part may infect and destroy everything else.

The experiences of Aramean army commander Naaman illustrate how this is true.  He was a powerful military and political figure, a man of wealth, position, and power.  He also had leprosy, which promised to bring about the loss of everything he head dear:  Lepers were made outcasts from their families and from society.  Ultimately, they faced a slow, painful, and disgraceful death.

Naaman heard about a prophet in Israel who could heal him.  He found the prophet, and the prophet told him that in order to be healed he needed to dip himself seven times in the Jordan River.  Naaman went away outraged, having expected that his power would buy him an instant and easy cure.  In the end, however, he acknowledged his powerlessness, followed the instructions, and recovered completely.

Our “diseases” are as life threatening as the leprosy of Naaman’s day.  They slowly separate us from our families and lead toward the destruction of everything important to us.  There is no instant or easy cure.  The only answer is to admit our powerlessness, humble ourselves, and submit to the process that will eventually bring recovery. 

WORKBOOK QUESTIONS

A HUMBLE BEGINNING

1.  What is the difference between humiliation and humility in my life?
2. How do I regard myself as being a little more important than other people?
3. What makes me think I am in control of anything?
4. How do I try to influence or control God or his representatives?
5. When have I placed expectations on other people or God?
6. When have my attitudes shown that I believe I know better than God?

STEP 1

Hope amidst suffering

Bible reading: job 6:2-13

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

There are times when we are so confused and overwhelmed by the pain in our lives that we wish we could die.  No matter what we do, we are powerless to change things fo the better.  The weight of the pain and sadness seems too heavy to bear.  We can’t see why our hearts don’t just break and allow death to free us.

Job felt that way.  He’d lost everything, even though he had always done what was right.  His ten children were dead.  He had lost his business, his riches, and his health.  And all this happened in a matter of days!  He was left with a sharp-tongued wife and three friends who blamed him for his own misfortune.  Job cried out, “If my misery could be weighed and my troubles be put on the scales, they would outweigh all the sands of the sea….Oh, that I might have my request, that God would grant my desire.  I wish he would crush me.  I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me….I don’t have the strength to endure.  I have noting to live for.  Do I have the strength of a stone?  Is my body made of bronze?  No, I am utterly helpless, without any chance of success” (Job 6:2-3, 8-9, 11-13).

Job didn’t know that the end of his life would be even better than the beginning.  God eventually restored everything job had lost, and then some.  “Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life” (Job 42:17).  Even when we’re pressed to the point of death, there is still hope that our lives will change.  Our recovery could be so complete that the final lines written about us might read: “At last he or she died, after living a long, full life.”  We must remember: Life can be good again!

WORKBOOK QUESTIONS

1. What kind of people do I hang around with and trust-people who criticize, or people who encourage truth?
2. What emotions can I identify when I am at the bottom?
3. What have I done in the past to deal with pain or sadness?

Step 1  We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

Like Little Children

Bible Reading: Mark 10:13-16

For many of us in recovery, memories of childhood are full of the terrors associated with being powerless.  If we were raised in a family that was out of control, where we were neglected, abused, or exposed to domestic violence and dysfunctional behavior, the thought of being powerless might be very frightening.  We may have silently vowed never again to be as vulnerable as we were when we were children.

Jesus tells us that in order to enter the Kingdom of God we must become like little children, and this involves being powerless.  He said, “I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it” (Mark 10:15).

In any society, children are the most dependent members.  They have no inherent power for self-protection-no means to ensure that their lives will be safe, comfortable, or fulfilling.  Little children are singularly reliant on the love, care, and nurture of adults for their most basic needs.  They must trust their lives to someone who is more powerful than they are.  Although they may not know exactly what they need, they must cry out to obtain it, and hopefully, they will be heard and lovingly cared for.

We, too, must admit that we are truly powerless if our lives are ever to become healthy.  This doesn’t mean we have to become victims again.  Admitting our powerlessness is an honest acknowledgement of our situation in life and a positive step toward recovery. 

Life Recovery Workbook

Like Little Children Mark 10:13-16

1. What happened in the past that still provokes fear in me today?
2. When do I feel the most cared for?
3. What do I see in my life that reveals God’s care for me?

Step 1

 “A time to Choose”

Bible Reading: Acts 9:1-9

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

There are important moments in life that can change our destiny.  These are often times when we are confronted with how powerless we are over the events of our lives.  These moments can either destroy us or forever set the course of our lives in a much better direction.

Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul; see 13:9) had such a moment.  After Jesus’ ascension, Saul took it upon himself to rid the world of Christians.  As he headed to Damascus on this mission, “a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him.  He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul!  Saul!  Why are you persecuting me?...I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!  Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’…Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind.  So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus.  He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink”  (Acts 9:3-6, 8-9).

Saul was suddenly confronted with the fact that his life wasn’t as perfect as he had thought.  Self-righteousness had been his trademark.  By letting go of his illusions of power, however, he became one of the most powerful men ever-the apostle Paul.  When we are confronted with the knowledge that our lives aren’t under our control, we have a choice.  We can continue in denial and self-righteousness, or we can face the fact that we have been blind to some important issues.  If we become willing to be led into recovery and into a whole new way of life, we will find true power. 

Workbook

A Time to Choose Acts 9:1-9

1.    When I Continue to pursue my own agenda without asking God for direction, what happens in my life?
2.    Are there areas of my life in which God may have to use extreme measures before I will listen for direction?  which areas?
3.    What will it take for me to listen to God?

STEP 1   12 Step THE PARADOX OF POWERLESSNESS p1483

Bible reading: 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

We admitted that we were powerless over our problems-that our lives had become unmanageable.

We may be afraid to admit that we are powerless and that our lives are unmanageable.  If we admit that we are powerless, won’t we be tempted to give up completely in the struggle against our addictions?  It doesn’t seem to make sense that we can admit powerlessness and still find the power to go on.  This paradox will be dealt with as we go on to Steps Two and Three.

Life is full of paradoxes.  The apostle Paul tells us, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed.  We are perplexed but not driven to despair” (2 Corinthians 4:7-8).

The picture here contrasts a precious treasure and the simple container in which the treasure is stored.  The living power poured into our lives from above is the treasure.  Our human bodies, with all their flaws and weaknesses, are the perishable containers.  As human beings, we are imperfect.

Once we recognize the paradox of powerlessness, we can be quite relieved.  We don’t have to always be strong or pretend to be perfect.  We can live a real life, with its daily struggles, in a human body beset with weakness and still find the power from above to keep going without being crushed and broken. 

THE PARADOX OF POWERLESSNESS Workbook Questions

1.  These are examples of when I have demonstrated acceptance of my own powerlessness and God’s powerfulness:
2. How do I respond to trouble?
3. How do I respond to being perplexed?
4. What do I do when it seems that God or someone else has abandoned me?