Back in step 10, we turned our focus from our past to our present. Now, as we begin to understand and work step 11 of AA, we’ll start to think about the future, particularly in regards to our spiritual path.
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.
By now, we’ve cleared out any lingering negativity from our pasts and learned to be aware of the present moment. Now, we start to plan for the way forward.
What Does Step 11 in AA Mean?
Step 11 in AA is about continuing to instill trust in your higher power. You’ve only got one step left in your program, so now is the time to begin setting yourself up for the future.
Continuing to improve your relationship with God as you understand Him or Her won’t end when you reach step 12. Instead, spiritual and self-development should both be sought out for the rest of your life.
Your higher power has a plan for your life and wants you to be healthy and happy. Step 11 is where we learn to accept this.
How to Work Step 11 in AA
Step 11 is quite simple. Here is where we build a foundational habit of prayer and meditation that will guide us through the rest of our lives. Our spirituality and the way we connect with our higher power is constantly growing and changing, just like us, so it’s okay if the way in which we pray or meditate shifts throughout the years. However, it’s important that we build the habit of incorporating prayer and meditation into our daily lives.
Constantly seeking to improve our spirituality is the path out of addiction. Working step 11 in AA is establishing what exactly your spiritual path will look like now. You don’t necessarily have to adhere to specific practices of one religion; you can choose to pick up and discard practices that work or don’t work for you personally.
The important thing here is to ensure that your new spiritual path doesn’t take you away from the basic principles and fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Continuing with your regular self-inventory, through step 11 in AA, ask yourself some of the questions below as you reflect on yourself and your journey:
- How has my idea of a higher power changed since I began step one?
- How do prayer or meditation help me to put things into perspective?
- What does the presence of my higher power feel like in my daily life?
- How am I improving my connection with my higher power?
Prayer and Meditation
Prayer and meditation are incredible grounding tools that can aid you in your recovery. They often go hand in hand, and many people find success in practicing both prayer and meditation daily.
Meditation helps us focus inward and learn more about ourselves, our thoughts, our behaviors, and our beliefs. Through regular meditation, we are able to develop awareness and control over our thoughts and emotions.
Prayer, on the other hand, helps us to connect on a deeper level with our higher power. The ability to connect with something bigger than ourselves allows us to develop hope that will carry us through the process. It helps develop our relationship with our higher power, so that we can place our full trust in them to help us through recovery.
Need Help Following the 12 Steps of AA?
Whether you use a god, the universe, or your fellow AA members as your source of inspiration, joining a 12-step program will help you to grow your spiritual connection and self-awareness. It may even save your life.
At Any Length Retreat, we believe in the healing power of the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. We use the steps to help addicted men and their families find lifelong recovery from addiction. If you or your loved ones are struggling with a substance addiction, give us a call today at (512) 598-5595 to find out more about our programs and how we can help you find freedom from addiction through the application of the 12 steps.