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How We Actually "Work" the Steps: A 1939 Field Manual

Program of Action | 1939 Field Manual

In the beginning, we thought the Steps were like school—read a book, pass a test, and be "done." But the 1939 Blueprint taught us a different truth: The Steps aren't something we read; they are something we do.

Moving from Thinking to Acting

Our "best thinking" is what led to the shipwreck. To reach the Recovered state, we had to move from intellectual agreement to Industrial Action. We don't "think" our way into a new way of acting; we act our way into a new way of thinking.

The Guide (The Sponsor)

We do not work the Steps alone. We sit down with another person, apply the literature to our lives with rigorous honesty, and follow the 1939 Program of Action. We look for solutions, not just problems.

"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." — Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25

The Phases of the Blueprint

  • Steps 1-3 (Attitude): Surrendering the "Manager" and admitting the Physical Allergy.
  • Steps 4-9 (Housecleaning): The vigorous moral inventory and the clearing of the past.
  • Steps 10-12 (Maintenance): The daily discipline of taking inventory, prayer, and helping another alcoholic.

Operational Resources (Internal Weave)

Unityforrecovery.com: Carrying the 1939 message modem to modem.

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