The Twelve Steps of Sex-Related Recovery Programs

The Twelve Steps
A Comparison of the Steps of All Ten "S" Fellowships...
highlighting the ways they differ from the original AA version and each other.

Click here to jump to: AA / COSA / ISA / RCA / SA / SAA / S-Anon / SCA / SIA / SLAA / SRA

Key: Red = differing behaviors Green = wording change Blue = wording change regarding the gender of God

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

© 1955 by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc, New York NY.

A.A. Copyright Permission to Other Fellowships: "The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions does not mean that A.A. is affiliated with these programs. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only. Use of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which addresses other problems, does not imply otherwise."

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over sex and love addiction -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sex and love addicts, and to practice these principles in all areas of our lives.

© 1986 by The Augustine Fellowship, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Fellowship-Wide Services, Inc., Boston MA. Reprinted with adaptation by permission of A.A. World Services, Inc.

Sexaholics Anonymous (SA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over lust -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sexaholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

© 1982 by Sexaholics Anonymous Inc., Nashville TN. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over addictive sexual behavior -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other sex addicts and to practice these principles in our lives.

© 1988 by the International Service Organization of SAA, Inc., Houston TX. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA)*
1. We admitted we were powerless over sexual compulsion -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to sexually compulsive people and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

© 1996 by Sexual Compulsives Anonymous International Service Organization, New York NY. The Twelve Steps are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
*This fellowship is not currently active in Colorado.

Sexual Recovery Anonymous (SRA)*
1. We admitted we were powerless over our sexual obsessions -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to those still suffering , and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

© 1991 by SRA General Services Board, New York NY. The Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and the Preamble are reprinted and adapted with the permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., AA Grapevine, Inc.
*This fellowship is not currently active in Colorado

Survivors of Incest Anonymous (SIA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over the abuse, the effects of the abuse, and that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a loving higher power, greater than ourselves, could restore hope, healing and sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of a loving higher power, as we understood that to be.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves, the abuse, and its effects on our lives. We had no more secrets.
5. Admitted to a loving higher power, to ourselves, and to another human being our strengths and weaknesses.
6. Were entirely ready to have a loving higher power help us remove all the debilitating consequences of the abuse and became willing to treat ourselves with respect, compassion and acceptance.
7. Humbly asked a loving higher power to remove the unhealthy and self-defeating consequences stemming from the abuse.
8. Made a list of all the people we may have harmed (of our own free will), including ourselves and our inner child(ren), and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would result in physical, mental, emotional or spiritual harm to ourselves or others.
10. Continued to take responsibility for our own recovery and when we found ourselves behaving in patterns still dictated by the abuse, promptly admitted it. When we succeed, we promptly enjoy it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with ourselves and a loving higher power as we understood that to be, asking only for knowledge of it's will for us and the power and courage to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other survivors, and practice these principles in all our endeavors.

© 1982 by the Survivors of Incest Anonymous World Service Organization, Benson MD. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Incest Survivors Anonymous (ISA)*
1. We admitted we were powerless over incest -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to incest survivors, and to practice these principles in our affairs.

© 1980 by Incest Survivors Anonymous, Long Beach CA. I.S.A. has agreed with A.A.'s request. Any time we print the I.S.A. TWELVE STEPS we are to print the AA 12 Steps to protect A.A. and I.S.A.
*This fellowship is not currently active in Colorado

Codependents Of Sex Addicts (COSA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over compulsive sexual behavior -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all area of our lives.

© COSA International Service Organization, Minneapolis MN. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

S-Anon International Family Groups
1. We admitted we were powerless over sexaholism -- that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in our affairs.

© 1990 by S-Anon International Family Groups, Inc., Nashville TN. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Recovering Couples Anonymous (RCA)
1. We admitted we were powerless over our relationship -- that our life together had become unmanageable
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to commitment and intimacy.
3. We made a decision to turn our wills and our life together over to the care of God as we understood God.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our relationship together as a couple.
5. We admitted to God, to each other, and to another couple the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character, communication, and caring.
7. We humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it to our partner and to others we had harmed.
11. We sought through our common prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other couples, and to practice these principles in all aspects of our lives, our relationship, and our families.

© 2003 by Recovering Couples Anonymous, Oakland CA. The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.

Steps to Recovery

Webpage design © 2009 by Colorado Service Group, Englewood CO. Copyrights for the individual excerpts are shown in each section.
A.A. Copyright Permission to Other Fellowships: "The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions does not mean that A.A. is affiliated with these programs. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only. Use of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which addresses other problems, does not imply otherwise."

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