Bill W. writes the 12 Ste

[majestyjo]

Bill W. writes the 12 Step


From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous:"



"I [Bill W.] was in this anything-but-spiritual

mood on the night [in December 1938] when the Twelve

Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous were written. I was

sore and tired clear through. I lay in bed at

182 Clinton Street with pencil in hand and with a

tablet of scratch paper on my knee. I could not get

my mind on the job, much less put my heart in it. But

here was one of those things that had to be done.

"Finally I started to write. I set out to draft more

than six steps [used by Oxford Groups]; how many

more I did not know. I relaxed and asked for guidance.

With a speed that was astonishing, considering my

jangling emotions, I completed the first draft. It

took perhaps half an hour. The words kept right on

coming. When I reached a stopping point, I numbered

the new steps. They added up to twelve."



c. 1957, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age,

pages 160-161

[majestyjo]

So grateful that Bill Was. shared those steps with others.