Only Step One, where we made the 100 percent admission we were powerless over alcohol, can be practiced with absolute perfection.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p 68
Long before I was able to obtain sobriety in A. A., I knew without a doubt that alcohol was killing me, yet even with this knowledge, I was unable to stop drinking. So when faced with Step One, I found it easy to admit that I lacked the power to not drink. But was my life unmanageable? Never! Five months after coming into A.A., I was drinking again and wondered why.
Later on, back in A.A. and smarting from my wounds, I learned that Step One is the only Step that can be taken 100%. And that the only way to take it 100% is to take 100% of the Step. That was many twenty-four hours ago and I haven't had to take Step One again.
From the book Daily Reflections
© Copyright 1990 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.