A Humanist Altennative to A,Als lll,yelve Steps A human’centercd appruach to conquaing alcnholism

by B. F. Skinner

,y*, p*Pl: haue told ry ,V! they anned to Alcoholics Anonymous far help but have been offended by i* heauily religious S character. U In uiew of thk, I haue propose-d a hurnanistic aliematiie ro A.$.t ‘*fhe Tweiie St ps.; I srnt tiis uersion to Alcoholics Anmryrmous, sugge_sting that they offer as an alternatiue I was not suggesting -for nonreligious that it would be impos”sible to^r*beri. -it that they abandon th3ir.2wy twelve steps. I was to[d, howeuer, change their praaiciriiitt oi a m.ajority uote of Anorymous and was assured that many atheisis and agnostiihat;e -all_Alcoholics tyelye tt^.pt ptPfu!.-Hyry!* counselms rnay, nevertheless, find an abeinative version fo”nd the original Below are lkted both ‘*Ihe Tweh;e Steps” of Alcoholia Anonymous and my suggested ibernative: “i4″t.

.1. 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol . . . We accept the fact that all our efforts to stop drink, that our lives had become unmanageable. ing have failed. 2. Came to believe that a Power grcater than ourselves 2. We believe that we must turn elsewhere for help. could restore us to saniry. 3. We turn to our fellow men and women, paaicularly 3. Made a decision to tum our will and our lives over those who have struggled with the same problem. to the care of God as we und,r:stood Him. 4. We have made a list of the situations in which we 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of are mo6t likely to drink. ourselves. 5. We ask our friends to help us avoid those situations. 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another 6. We are ready to accept the help they give us. human being the exact nature of our wrongs. 7. We earnestly hope that they will help. 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these 8. We have made a list of the persons we have harmed defects of character. and to whom we hope to make amends. 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 9. We shall do all we can to make amends, in any way 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and that will not cause further harm. became willing to make a-ends to them all. 10. We will continue to make such lists and revise them 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, as needed. ‘ except when to do so would injure them or others. 11. We appreciate what our friends have done and are 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we doing to help us. were wrong pro4lxly admitted it. 12. We, in turn, are ready to help others who may come 11. Sought thr:ough-?rayer and meditation to improve our to us in the same way. congciofs contagt with God as we understooi Hi*, pr’dy-g only for knowledge of His will for us and rhe power to carry that out. 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcohol, ics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

B. F. Skinner, 1972 Hnmanist of the Year, continues his research and writing at Harvard University. The Thelve Steps is reprinted with permission of AJcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc,

Jury,/Aucusr 1987