“Here are the steps we took” by Clarence Snyder
Working With Others
It was Dr. Bob Smith who sponsored Clarence Snyder into this simple
program. Clarence repeated this approach with other alcoholics in
Cleveland where he achieved a high recovery rate. Here is the approach the A.A. pioneers used to carry the message to the person
who suffers from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Clarence remained very active in A.A. until his death on March 22, 1984.
There are five phases to the Steps:
 STEP 1: ADMISSION,
 STEPS 2 and 3: SUBMISSION,
 STEPS 4, 5, 6, and 7: CONFESSION,
 STEPS 8 and 9: RESTITUTION,
 STEPS 10, 11, and 12: THE LIVING STEPS, CONSTRUCTION,
AND MAINTENANCE
Step 1: “We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol, that our
lives were unmanageable.”
Who’s boss — them or the alcohol (substances, or obsessive compulsive behavior)? (The above qualification should pretty much
answer the first half of the step)…That our lives had become unmanageable, not only our drinking — all phases of our existence were and are unmanageable. It stands to reason that if we can’t manage our lives and we are acting in a manner that is not very sane — unmanageability is not sane living — then we have to take Step 2.