The Other Promises of AA
By Terri Rimmer
Published Yesterday
Religion & Spirituality
Rating: Unrated
Terri Rimmer
Terri Rimmer has 24 years of journalism experience, having worked for ten newspapers and some magazines. Currently she writes for http://associatedcontent.com. She has a daughter, McKenna, whom she placed for adoption in August 2000. Ms. Rimmer published her e-book "MacKenzie's Hope" on http://booklocker.com under the family heading. It's also listed on http://adopting.com. She resides in Fort Worth, TX. In 2007 she won a Media Award from Associated Content and in 2005 she received a grant from Change, Inc.
View all articles by Terri Rimmer
There Are Other Guarantees That Go With the Steps
There are several sets of Promises in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, the textbook of the fellowship and most members are familiar with the ones on Pages 83 and 84.



But in this piece, I will talk about the subsets of Promises that are also found in various parts of the book.



The First Step Promises state: “I was soon to be catapulted into what I like to call the fourth dimension of existence I was to know happiness, peace, and usefulness, in a way of life that I incredibly more wonderful as time passes.” (Source: AA). An illustration of this would be the former newspaperman I knew who went from Skid Row to being an award-winning journalist. The First Step Promises continue with: “Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements” and “There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us.” A good example of this would be the man in the program who had to ride a bike everywhere because he couldn’t afford a car for six years of his sobriety then he was able to finally afford a vehicle.



They continue with: “There is, however a vast amount of fun about it all” which can be illustrated as having fun in sobriety without alcohol and “There exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful.” This means there is a bond among AA members that doesn’t go away. It goes on to say: “The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us…The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.”



The First Step Promises conclude with: “The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves” and “A new life has been give us, or, if you prefer, ’a design for living’ that really works.” You can understand this by imagining the former single mom who used to physically abuse her child who undergoes a spiritual transformation. The last two guarantees state “All of us, whatever our race, creed, or color are the children of a living Creator with whom we may form a relationship upon simple and understandable terms as soon as we are willing and honest enough to try.” This means we all have a fundamental idea of God and that is the beginning of our attempt for a sober life.



The Second Step Promises states the following: “We found that as soon as we were able to lay aside prejudice and express even a willingness to believe in a Power greater than ourselves, we commenced to get results, even though it was impossible for any of us to fully define or comprehend that Power, which is God” (Source: Alcoholics Anonymous) and “The Realm of Spirit is broad, roomy, all inclusive; never exclusive or forbidding to those who earnestly seek. It is open, we believe, to all men.” It goes on to say that “As soon as a man or woman can say that he does believe, or is wiling to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. It has been repeatedly proven among us that upon this simple cornerstone a wonderfully effective spiritual structure can be built.” For instance, there is a woman who once had ten years sober, relapsed, came back to the program after staying out for years and having had stolen credit cards and abused prescription drugs, and is now a totally different person.



The Second Step Promises continue by saying: “In the face of collapse and despair, in the face of the

total failure of their human resources, they found that a new power, peace, happiness, and sense of direction flowed into them,” which would explain why some prison inmates find, after serving time for DUIs, for example, a higher power and sobriety as a new way of life. They also state that “When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not not work. But the God idea did” and “He has come to all who have honestly sought Him. When we drew near to Him He disclosed Himself to us!” This can be illustrated in the portrait of the man in treatment who gets on his knees and prays in earnest to something, somewhere that will help him.



The Third Step Promises state that “God was going to be our Director. He is the Principal; we are his agents. He is the Father and we are His children. Most good ideas are simple, and this concept was the keystone of the new and triumphant arch through which we passed to freedom.” An old sponsor of mine told me to use this direction when it came to problems with the boss. She also used it with another sponsee to help her stop stealing. This set of promises goes on to state that “We had a new Employer. Being all powerful, He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed His work well. Established on such a footing we became less and less interested in ourselves, our little plans, and designs.” An example of this would be the employee who has grandiose ideas without much much talent who realizes that his goal on this earth is not to chase after ill-conceived get-rich-quick schemes.



“More and more we became interested in seeing what we could contribute to life” is also part of this set of promises as is “As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we begin to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or hereafter. We were reborn.” Another example of this would be the widow who is able to overcome her depression and isolation and who, yesterday, could not imagine life withot her husband but now can see some hope.



The Fourth Step Promises say “When the spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically.” I have heard stories from many who have told me that some or all of their health problems cleared up when they strengthened themselves spiritually. “Just as to the extent that we do as we think He would have us, and humbly rely on Him, does He enable us to match calamity with serenity” is also part of this set of promises. Somehow, in this whole process we are able to hear that still, small voice guiding us to do the right thing.



It continues with “We have begun to learn tolerance, patience, and good will toward all men, even our enemies, for we look on them as sick people” which is a tough one for alcoholics but it can be achieved.



Fifth Step Promises tell us that once we have done the Fifth Step with our sponsor or that trusted someone that “We can look the world in the eye,” “We can be alone at perfect peace and ease,” “Our fears fall from us,” “We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator,“ “We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience,” “The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly,” and “We feel we are on the broad highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.”



To translate, these promises mean we can hold our head up, not be morose about going through a divorce, for instance, we feel the inner spirit within us, and we might re-examine our old spiritual hang-ups. It also can be seen in an example such as this one: A formerly promiscuous woman, now sober, has a husband and child and has left that life behind all due to a psychic change.