“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 THREE: We made the decision that we needed to come under new man-agement since our own management got us nowhere. So we turn our wills and lives over to the care of our new manager — God. He will take care of us and manage our lives since we admitted in Step 1 that our lives were unmanageable, and in Step 2, that He could restore us to a manageable state and sanity.
At this point both of you get down on your knees… Both on knees, the sponsor says: “God, this is ___(name)____, he is coming to You in all humility to ask You to guide and direct him. ______(name)_____realizes that his life is messed up and unmanageable. _____(name)_____ is coming to You Lord in all humility to ask to be one of your children — to work for you, to serve and dedicate his life to You and to turn his will and life over that he may be an instrument of Your love.
Person repeats after sponsor: “God, I ask that You guide and direct me, and that I have decided to turn my will and life over to You. To serve You and dedicate my life to You. I thank you Lord; I believe that if I ask this in prayer, I shall receive what I have asked for. Thank you God. Amen.”
Now that we have gone under new management, we believe what it says in the Big Book at the end of the Steps in How It Works:
A. We were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives,
B. No human power could RELIEVE our alcoholism,
C. GOD COULD AND WOULD IF HE WERE SOUGHT!