What’s Step 3 in AA?


Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a peer support group centered around spirituality, self-reflection, and change. It consists of twelve steps to help people maintain their sobriety.
The first step in AA and any recovery process is admitting there’s an issue. If you need alcohol to function, it’s time to seek help.
In this article, we’ll discuss the third step in AA. We’ll talk about its purpose, spiritual principles, and the challenges in completing it.

What is the 3rd Step in Alcoholics Anonymous?
The third step of AA involves making “a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
The third step is the culmination of steps 1 and 2, which involve admitting alcohol addiction and believing in a higher power. It dictates a willingness to turn one’s life around and surrender it to a higher power.
Keep in mind that the third step isn’t about giving up or becoming passive. It’s about recognizing your own efforts and embracing a greater power to trust in its guidance.
The 3rd Step’s Spiritual Principles
Each step in AA has spiritual principles, and step 3 involves faith. During this step, you’re meant to give up your old ways and surrender control of your life.
Doing this helps you understand that some things are beyond your control. There’s no shame in putting your faith in something else.
In turn, you might be able to avoid certain alcohol triggers and establish a system of beliefs that can help you overcome addiction. Basically, step 3 is all about recognizing your limitations and accepting that you need help from a higher power.
What is the Purpose of Step 3 in AA?
Like all the steps in AA, the third step focuses on the personalized change needed to overcome addiction. But more specifically, it involves allowing a higher power or purpose to be the driving force behind sobriety.
It’s important to understand that AA doesn’t require stout religious beliefs. But it does require you to genuinely seek help and accept that you can’t handle addiction alone.
If you’re not particularly religious, you can use something else as a higher power. For example, a higher power could refer to the universe, your job, and, most importantly, your family.
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How Do You Complete Step 3?
Completing step 3 means consciously repeating your impotence over alcohol. AA only works for people genuinely seeking help and treatment for their substance abuse.
To complete step 3, you must surrender your will and life to a higher power or purpose. You must fully admit your addiction, reject your old ways, and embrace treatment.
What are the Challenges of Step 3?
Faith can be a difficult principle to grasp, especially for people who come from non-religious upbringings or those who hold atheist beliefs. On the other hand, some people might say they’ll do AA just to placate their family and friends.
For AA to succeed, one must internally want to quit drinking and trust the process. Faith in a higher power is the key to AA’s success. However, for many people, these concepts can be difficult to process.
The recovery process is life-long, but with the proper help, overcoming addiction is possible. Treatment centers and AA groups exist all over the U.S. and are equipped and ready to help.
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- Bill, W. “Step 3.” Alcoholics Anonymous, 1939.
- Kelly et al. “Alcoholics anonymous and 12-step facilitation treatments for alcohol use disorder: A distillation of a 2020 cochrane review for clinicians and policy makers.” Alcohol and Alcoholism, 2020.
- Grim B. & Grim ME. “Belief, Behavior, and Belonging: How Faith is Indispensable in Preventing and Recovering from Substance Abuse.” J Relig Health, 2019.
- “Why Is Spirituality an Essential Part of a Recovery Program?” Psychology Today, 2017.
- “What Makes AA Work?” Harvard Gazette, 2011.
- Wnuk M. “The Beneficial Role of Involvement in Alcoholics Anonymous for Existential and Subjective Well-Being of Alcohol-Dependent Individuals?” The Model Verification. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2022

