Briarwood Detox Center — Step 12 worksheet
Step 12 worksheet — carrying it, and keeping it
Step 12 asks you to carry what you have found to other people who are still struggling, and to practice these principles everywhere rather than only in meetings.
This step is usually explained as giving back. It is also, plainly, self-interested: people who work with others stay well at a rate that people who do not, do not.
What changed
You will need to be able to say this simply to someone who is where you were. Practise it here.
What was I like, in three sentences?
What happened?
What am I like now — including what is still hard?
Carrying it
Who is still where I was, that I am in a position to help?
What service am I willing to take on — the unglamorous kind included?
Am I ready to sponsor someone? If not, what is missing?
Where am I telling my story to be admired rather than to be useful?
In all my affairs
This clause is the one people skip. It is also where the rest of a life gets built.
Where am I honest in meetings and not at work?
Where am I patient with strangers and not at home?
Which principle is hardest for me outside a meeting room, and what would practicing it cost this week?
Before you put this away
A worksheet is a way to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. It is not the step. Step 12 is worked with a sponsor, a counselor, or someone else who has done it — they will see things in these pages that you cannot see yourself.
Who am I going to show this to, and when?
What did I leave off these pages because I did not want to write it down?
This worksheet is provided free by Briarwood Detox Center for personal reflection. It is not medical advice, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. Work it with a sponsor or counselor. If you need help right now, call (866) 710-7710. If you have thoughts of self-harm, call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 in an emergency.