If you’re familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous, you’ve probably heard the phrase, “It works if you work it.” To do the work in A.A. is what separates recovery from sobriety. At the highest level, it means showing up, connecting, taking suggestions, working the Steps with a sponsor, and then turning around to help the next person.
“Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.”
Despite its many slogans, A.A. is a program of action. Here’s what that looks like in practice.
Go to Meetings
Meetings are where recovery begins. In early sobriety, it’s suggested that newcomers do “90 in 90,” or ninety meetings in ninety days. Like most of the suggestions in A.A., 90 in 90 is recommended because it has a proven track record of success.
This commitment serves many purposes:
- It gives you time to start hearing and understanding the message of hope,as your mind and body begin to heal
- It shows others that you are serious about your recovery
- It allows you to make vital connections and realize that you’re not alone
- It creates routine that was missing during active addiction, helping to keep the obsession at bay and build confidence
- It keeps you accountable, to both yourself and others in the program who will expect to see you
- It lays the foundation for a life in recovery, where you can be the person you were always meant to be
Meetings also serve as a daily reminder that alcoholism is cunning, baffling, and powerful—and that we must be diligent in our defense against the first drink.
Click here to find an A.A. meeting in your area.
Put Your Hand Out
When you walk into a meeting, don’t just grab a seat in the back and disappear. To do the work in A.A. means putting your hand out, introducing yourself, and asking for help. That simple act might seem scary at first, but it’s critical to breaking the ice, telling others you’re here for the right reasons, and opening the door to relationships that could one day save your life.
In early sobriety, you will be uncomfortable for any number of reasons, including having to meet “strangers”. Fear not—there will always be a smile and a welcome hand waiting for you (more on that later).
Get Phone Numbers
One of the first suggestions you’ll hear in meetings is to get phone numbers from fellow A.A.s. That means building a list of people you can call before you pick up a drink. These aren’t just numbers in your phone—they’re lifelines. And the unspoken part of the suggestion? Use them. Call someone when you’re restless, irritable, or discontent. Text when you need to get out of your own head or find a good meeting.
In early sobriety, men should get the numbers of other men, and women should get the numbers of other women. This doesn’t require further explanation.
Speak to a Fellow Alcoholic Every Day
Addiction is a disease of isolation, and connection is its antidote. Talking to another alcoholic every single day keeps you accountable, reminds you you’re part of something bigger, and gives you a chance to both give and receive support. This is about building a daily habit of connection that’s not reserved for when you’re in crisis. In today’s world, texting is an option, too. You never know how reaching out may change a person’s day.
During your first 90 days, show up early to meetings and stay behind afterwards. It is in these times where fellowship grows
Get Your Monthly Chips at Every Meeting You Go To
Pick up your chips every month, and let the group celebrate with you. If you have a partner or loved one supporting you, bring them to the meeting to witness your achievements. These moments will mean as much to them and the group as they do for you.
A fellow newcomer might be counting days, but seeing you collect a 24-hour, 30-day, or 6-month chip gives hope and shows them that recovery is possible if you do the work in A.A.. For “old-timers”, seeing someone new get their chip is a powerful reminder that their disease is just one drink away. It also signals who could use more of a helping hand in the group.
Standing up to receive your chip is the earliest act of service you can do in A.A.. Not only does it help others, it represents a meeting in your pocket. Who knows, it might just save your life one day.
Choose a Home Group
Every A.A. member is encouraged to have a “home group”—the one meeting you commit to attending and serving every week. Your home group is where people get to know you, where they notice if you’re missing, and where you give back through service. It’s where accountability becomes personal. Yes, it’s okay to have more than one home group.
“Over the years, the very essence of A.A. strength has remained with our home group, which, for many members, becomes our extended family.”
—Pamphlet on the A.A. group, p.13
Get a Service Job in Your Home Group
Get a Service Job in Your Home GroupTaking a job like making coffee, setting up chairs, greeting at the door, or breaking down the meeting at the end, gives you responsibility and a reason to show up. It’s a way to stay engaged, even on the days you don’t feel like being there. And service is humility in action: no job is too small when it’s keeping you sober.
“I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble.”
—Helen Keller
Find a Sponsor (and Talk to Them Regularly)
A sponsor is someone who has what you want and is willing to show you how they got it. They’re not there to be your therapist—they’re there to walk you through the 12 Steps, share their experience, and help you see your blind spots. The key is consistency. Call them. Text them. Meet with them. The relationship works only if you keep it alive.
When choosing a sponsor, look for someone whose sobriety is attractive—not just in length of time, but in quality. How do they treat people? How do they handle adversity? How do they carry themselves when nobody is looking? Are they living the A.A. promises? Do they seek peace and serenity?
This isn’t about finding a buddy; it’s about finding a guide whose life shows the results of working the Steps.
Practice Sharing in Meetings
Sharing is part of carrying the message. It’s not about impressing anyone—it’s about honesty. Speak from your own experience, keep it in the solution (how you do the work in A.A. to stay sober), and remember that what you say might be exactly what someone else needs to hear.
Listen to how others—especially people whose recovery you admire—share in meetings. Over time, you’ll get better at speaking from the heart without rehearsing in your head.
Go on Commitments
Commitments are when members of your home group lead a meeting for another A.A. group, a treatment center, jail, or hospital, by sharing their experience, strength, and hope. They remind you of where you’ve been and show you how far you’ve come. Commitment groups often carpool, where bonds and fellowship grow stronger on the ride to and from the meeting. They also carry the message to people who might be hearing about A.A. for the very first time.
Going on a commitment can be scary at first, especially if you don’t enjoy speaking in front of groups. But nobody has ever felt worse after sharing their story. In fact, you may find you’ll experience overwhelming relief from this act of service.
“Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now.”
—Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 5 – How It Works, p.58
Start the 12 Steps with Your Sponsor
This is where the heart of doing the work in A.A. lives. The Steps are a set of actions that will change the way you think, live, and relate to the world. You don’t “graduate” from the Steps; you live them.
“If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it—then you are ready to take certain steps.”
—Alcoholics Anonymous, Chapter 5 – How It Works, p.58
Do the Work for Each Step
- Step 1: Admit you are powerless over alcohol and that your life has become unmanageable. This means fully surrendering—no reservations, no backup plans. Burn the boats.
- Step 2: Come to believe that a Power greater than yourself can restore you to sanity. Open the door to the possibility that help exists beyond your own willpower. You’ve tried to do it on your own and could not.
- Step 3: Make a decision to turn your will and your life over to the care of God as you understand Him. This is about trust and letting go of self-reliance and self-centeredness, so that we can begin living for others.
- Step 4: Make a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself. Write it down. Get honest about your resentments, fears, and behaviors. Leave nothing out. Any length, remember?
- Step 5: Admit to God, to yourself, and to another human being the exact nature of your wrongs. Share your inventory with your sponsor—no holding back. This is a turning point in your life of recovery and a step into action. You must be fearless and thorough.
- Step 6: Become entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Having revealed and accepted the negative elements of ourselves through Steps 4 and 5, we are now willing to begin our lifelong job of self-improvement.
- Step 7: Humbly ask Him to remove your shortcomings. Let go of what no longer serves you. Move into humility and seek guidance from your higher power as you pursue personal change.
- Step 8: Make a list of all persons you have harmed and become willing to make amends to them all. No editing the list to suit your comfort. Review and discuss your list with your sponsor before moving forward.
- Step 9: Make direct amends wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. This is where humility meets action. It’s time to clear the wreckage of your past so you can begin your new life with a clean slate.
- Step 10: Continue to take personal inventory and when you are wrong, promptly admit it. Keep your side of the street clean—daily.
- Step 11: Seek through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God as you understand Him. Build spiritual fitness. Gain clarity of purpose and meaning. Connection goes beyond the four walls of the halls.
- Step 12: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, carry this message to other alcoholics and practice these principles in all your affairs. Now it’s time to give back what was so freely given to you, so that you may keep it.
Get Your 1-Year Medallion
Reaching one year of continuous sobriety is a moment of deep reflection. That medallion represents 365 days of choosing recovery, of showing up even when it wasn’t easy, and of living differently than you used to. It’s a chance to look back on where you started, take stock of the growth you’ve experienced, and acknowledge the things you’ve regained—trust, health, self-respect, and relationships.
The 1-year mark is also a powerful opportunity to be a living example to others in the fellowship. The newcomer counting days will see proof that if you do the work in A.A., the promises will come true. Your story, your progress, and your presence in the rooms become a source of hope for those still finding their footing.
Many members use this milestone as a way to bring family and friends into the fold. It provides a chance to celebrate the positive changes they’ve witnessed and allows you to properly thank them for their support. Inviting loved ones to a meeting for your anniversary not only honors your journey, but also shows them what A.A. is all about. It reinforces the truth that recovery doesn’t just give you a life—it gives you back the one you thought you’d lost.
Be the Hand of A.A.
Sponsoring Others
The Big Book says you can’t keep what you don’t give away. Sponsoring others forces you to revisit the Steps, deepen your understanding, and see the program through fresh eyes. It also grounds you in gratitude—remembering where you started and how far you’ve come.
Live as a Power of Example
You may be the only Big Book someone ever “reads.” How you act in meetings, at work, in public, or around your family, can be the attraction to the program that someone else needs. Strive to live in a way that reflects the promises: free from fear, filled with purpose, and willing to help.
Remain of Service
To others, to your groups, and to A.A. as a whole. Service can be as simple as stacking chairs or giving a newcomer a ride, or as big as speaking at a convention. The point is to stay outward-focused. Service keeps you connected, humble, and useful—three things every alcoholic needs to stay sober.
“I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of A.A. always to be there. And for that: I am responsible.”
– A.A. Responsibility Statement
Only You Can Decide
If once you start drinking you can’t stop, or once you stop drinking you can’t stay stopped, it may be worth considering getting help. Alcoholics Anonymous has a 12-question self-assessment to determine whether or not you may benefit from the program.
Take the A.A. Self Assessment
If you answer yes to four or more of these questions, give Northstar Recovery Center a call at 888-339-5756. We will facilitate your medically-supervised detox, if necessary, and provide outpatient addiction treatment services to get your recovery journey started. You learn about A.A., and gain the tools and resources to begin a new life in sobriety.
