http://www.aabibliography.com/aaprinciples.html

Principles of the 12 Steps: two list here see other list at bottom
of page
STEP: (The steps are printed on pages 59 & 60 of the Big Book.)

1. Surrender. (Capitulation to hopelessness.)

2. Hope. (Step 2 is the mirror image or opposite of step 1. In step 1
we admit that alcohol is our higher power, and that our lives are
unmanageable. In step 2, we find a different Higher Power who we hope
will bring about a return to sanity in management of our lives.)

3. Commitment. (The key word in step 3 is decision.)

4. Honesty. (An inventory of self.)

5. Truth. (Candid confession to God and another human being.)

6. Willingness. (Choosing to abandon defects of character.)

7. Humility. (Standing naked before God, with nothing to hide, and
asking that our flaws—in His eyes—be removed.)

8. Reflection. (Who have we harmed? Are we ready to amend?)

9. Amendment. (Making direct amends/restitution/correction, etc..)

10. Vigilance. (Exercising self-discovery, honesty, abandonment,
humility, reflection and amendment on a momentary, daily, and
periodic basis.)

11. Attunement. (Becoming as one with our Father.)

12. Service. (Awakening into sober usefulness.)


Step 1: Honesty
After many years of denial, recovery can begin when with one simple
admission of
being powerless over alcohol -- for alcoholics and their friends and
family.

Step 2: Faith
It seems to be a spiritual truth, that before a higher power can
begin to operate, you
must first believe that it can.

Step 3: Surrender
A lifetime of self-will run riot can come to a screeching halt, and
change forever, by
making a simple decision to turn it all over to a higher power.

Step 4: Soul Searching
There is a saying in the 12-step programs that recovery is a process,
not an event.
The same can be said for this step -- more will surely be revealed.

Step 5: Integrity
Probably the most difficult of all the steps to face, Step 5 is also
the one that provides
the greatest opportunity for growth.

Step 6: Acceptance
The key to Step 6 is acceptance -- accepting character defects
exactly as they are
and becoming entirely willing to let them go.

Step 7: Humility
The spiritual focus of Step 7 is humility, asking a higher power to
do something that
cannot be done by self-will or mere determination.

Step 8: Willingness
Making a list of those harmed before coming into recovery may sound
simple. Becoming
willing to actually make those amends is the difficult part.

Step 9: Forgiveness
Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but for those
serious about
recovery it can be great medicine for the spirit and soul.

Step 10: Maintenance
Nobody likes to admit to being wrong. But it is absolutely necessary
to maintain
spiritual progress in recovery.

Step 11: Making Contact
The purpose of Step 11 is to discover the plan God as you understand
Him has for your
life.

Step 12: Service
For those in recovery programs, practicing Step 12 is simply "how it
works."

The AA Principles and Virtues
(from barefoots world website)


Honesty

Step 1. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol - that our
lives had become unmanageable.



Hope

Step 2. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could
restore us to sanity.



Faith

Step 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the
care of God as we understood him.



Courage

Step 4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.



Integrity

Step 5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the
exact nature of our wrongs.



Willingness

Step 6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of
character.



Humility

Step 7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.



Brotherly Love

Step 8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing
to make amends to them all.



Justice

Step 9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except
when to do so would injure them or others.



Perserverance

Step 10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong
promptly admitted it.



Spirituality

Step 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.



Service

Step 12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these
steps, we tried to carry this message to others, especially
alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.




----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

I went out on the web in search of possible further historical
documentation of their origins and found two more listings different
from the above ...



Principles of the 12 Steps




1. Surrender. (Capitulation to hopelessness.)

2. Hope. (Step 2 is the mirror image or opposite of step 1. In step 1
we admit that alcohol is our higher power, and that our lives are
unmanageable. In step 2, we find a different Higher Power who we hope
will bring about a return to sanity in management of our lives.)

3. Commitment. (The key word in step 3 is decision.)

4. Honesty. (An inventory of self.)

5. Truth. (Candid confession to God and another human being.)

6. Willingness. (Choosing to abandon defects of character.)

7. Humility. (Standing naked before God, with nothing to hide, and
asking that our flaws - in His eyes - be removed.)

8. Reflection. (Who have we harmed? Are we ready to amend?)

9. Amendment. (Making direct amends/restitution/correction, etc..)

10. Vigilance. (Exercising self-discovery, honesty, abandonment,
humility, reflection and amendment on a momentary, daily, and
periodic basis.)

11. Attunement. (Becoming as one with our Higher Power.)

12. Service. (Awakening into sober usefulness.)




----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------

And another list--

Step 1: Honesty -- After many years of denial, recovery can begin
when with one simple admission of being powerless over alcohol -- for
alcoholics and their friends and family.

Step 2: Faith -- It seems to be a spiritual truth, that before a
higher power can begin to operate, you must first believe that it
can.

Step 3: Surrender -- A lifetime of self-will run riot can come to a
screeching halt, and change forever, by making a simple decision to
turn it all over to a higher power.

Step 4: Soul Searching -- There is a saying in the 12-step programs
that recovery is a process, not an event. The same can be said for
this step -- more will surely be revealed.

Step 5: Integrity -- Probably the most difficult of all the steps to
face, Step 5 is also the one that provides the greatest opportunity
for growth.

Step 6: Acceptance -- The key to Step 6 is acceptance -- accepting
character defects exactly as they are and becoming entirely willing
to let them go.

Step 7: Humility -- The spiritual focus of Step 7 is humility, asking
a higher power to do something that cannot be done by self-will or
mere determination.

Step 8: Willingness -- Making a list of those harmed before coming
into recovery may sound simple. Becoming willing to actually make
those amends is the difficult part.

Step 9: Forgiveness -- Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to
swallow, but for those serious about recovery it can be great
medicine for the spirit and soul.

Step 10: Maintenance -- Nobody likes to admit to being wrong. But it
is absolutely necessary to maintain spiritual progress in recovery.

Step 11: Making Contact -- The purpose of Step 11 is to discover the
plan God as you understand Him has for your life.

Step 12: Service -- For those in recovery programs, practicing Step
12 is simply "How It Works."








--- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "Dick" <dikilee@y...> wrote:
>
> The Forword to the 12 & 12 states:
> "A.A.'s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in
their
> nature, which, if practiced as a way of life, can expel the
obsession
> to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully
whole".
>
> I believe the Traditions and Concepts also are principles in and of
> themselves. As far as I can tell the assignment of a "principle"
to
> each step has been done by individuals in the fellowship and there
are
> a number of different lists of principles.
>
> In the spirit of recovery, Dick.
>
> --- In AAHistoryLovers@yahoogroups.com, "ricky151530"
> <r_myers9848@s...> wrote:
> >
> > Dear AA History Lovers, first of all thanks so much for being
here.
> > This yahoo group has really opened my eyes to the history of A.A.
I
> > would like to know where the Principles came from? When where
they
> > first writen,and by whom? I have googled it and can't seem to
find
> > information on the way the principles came about. For example...
The
> > principle behind step one is Honesty, for step two its Faith, and
so
> > on.
> > Thanks for any information that can be given.
> > Richard
>