Higher Power in the 12 Steps

God or higher power is mentioned in 6 of the 12 steps. These terms are used interchangeably. The idea of a higher power is the key element of the program, as seen in the following steps:

Step 2 – We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Step 3- We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Step 5- We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Step 6-We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Step 7- We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Step 11 – We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
The 12 Steps are a recommended program of recovery from alcoholism. There is no obligation for people who attend the meetings to follow these steps – many members only seem to pay lip service to the program. The traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous make clear that the only requirement for memberships is the desire to stop drinking.