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AA and all 12 step based fellowships will tell you that doing the 12 steps will make everyone better. I say that assertion is false.

I have over a decade of daily experience working (or performing or doing) the 12 step program’s full set of steps. My experience is that my working the twelve steps had screwed me out of a chance to live a full life. However I do know many folks do did not suffer from ‘working the steps’ .

Now asking the question “Who will the 12 steps Help and who will they hurt?” is suggesting that this might be a 50-50 sort of proposition. In my opinion it isn’t that either. I believe the percentages of both who is actually HELPED and who is actually HURT are fairly low.

I believe that the majority of people who ‘work the steps’ are talking a rite of passage which one must finished in order to be accepted as a full member of their 12 step fellowship. But this rite is not going to have anything other than a placebo effect for most people.

If you do not have the traits that people like me have (we will discuss this shortly) then doing the steps will be likely harmless.

So let us get right to it - what sort of people are going to do the steps and get no ill effects?

• people raised to have self confidence will do well. Whether one or both parents raised you, if you were raised to believe in yourself, told you can succeed, given encouragement through out your childhood, you will do ok with the 12 steps
• attractive people will do well. Beautiful women will do better than handsome men but in general the more attractive a person you are, the more likely the 12 steps cannot do you harm
• wealthy people will do well. Also those who will become wealthy via trust funds, inheritances or marriage can also do well and not be adversely affected by the steps
• highly skilled people will do well. Note highly is underlined. And I did not say intelligent. This can be skilled at salesmanship, or in professional athletics or highly skilled in your profession. Which is likely an effect from the first point in the list. But for argument’s sake, if you are a highly skilled person without any of the other traits listed here, the steps will likely not produce bad effects for you.

OK not exactly the map to the hidden treasure there huh? Yeah, well I am glad you think that, because that makes my point even easier to understand. ANY one of the above traits will allow you to succeed in AA. Own the first trait or any 2 and you cant help but succeed.

The steps wont make one bit of difference in the formula of your success. If you don’t drink or use and one or more of the above traits belong to you, you are going to do great. Or better phrased, the twelve steps will not do you any harm.

In a nutshell, if the above describes you, and you quit drinking and using then you will succeed.

And if you are in AA and doing the work of the 12 steps, both the people around you and you yourself will give all the credit to the steps for your success.

Simple right?

OK, so who is going to get a royal screwing by believing in the Twelve Steps? stay tuned that posting will be here in the next 12 hours.

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Harry A.