Step Twelve, carrying the message: a review

Not all questions will apply at all stages of recovery. Ideally, all of the following forms of Twelfth-Step work should be undertaken over the course of the day, week, month, or year, accordingly:

  • Sponsorship (a rough guide: a person should be able to handle at least one for every year of sobriety, so someone ten years sober should be able to handle around ten sponsees as a minimum)
  • Attendance at a home group every week unless dead, out of town, or contagious
  • Service at a home group
  • Unless active step work is being undertaken daily with sponsees, attendance at additional meetings to generate opportunities for sponsorship
  • Attendance at weekly AA meetings to carry a strong message where it is needed the most
  • Service within the AA service structure (intergroup, convention committee, workshop committee, area, district, region, national sub-committee, conference, general service board)
  • Writing for an AA publication
  • Writing own AA and recovery-related materials to publish anonymously online
  • Engagement in online AA forums
  • Attendance at weak AA meetings to carry a strong message where it is needed the most
  • Speaking at treatment centres, rehabs, etc.
  • Carrying the message to the outside world through public information work and/or through the local telephone service
  • Talking on a daily basis to newcomers or other people who are struggling
  • Long-distance sponsorship (e.g. to people in prison, 'loners', and people in places where there is little or no strong AA)
  • Work to improve knowledge of the traditions, concepts, service and structure manuals, and AA history
  • Presence on all relevant lists of twelfth-steppers available to the local AA telephone services.