Where Did the 12 Steps Come From?
The 12 steps came from the first members of Alcoholics Anonymous in the late 1930s. They grew out of practices those men learned from the Oxford Group, a Christian movement of the time, and from what they found worked when one drunk helped another. Bill W. wrote them down as twelve steps while drafting the book, and they were published in 1939 in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Here’s that story in a little more detail, keeping to what is well documented.
Before the steps: the Oxford Group
In the early 1930s, a Christian movement called the Oxford Group was spreading in America and Britain. It urged people to surrender their lives to God, take an honest look at their sins, confess them to another person, make restitution, spend quiet time listening for God’s guidance, and share their faith with others.
Some heavy drinkers found sobriety through that fellowship. One of them carried the message to his old drinking friend, a New York stockbroker named Bill Wilson. Bill got sober in late 1934.
Our page Is AA Christian? goes deeper into the Oxford Group’s faith and what carried over.
1935: two drunks in Akron
In 1935, on a business trip to Akron, Ohio, Bill was alone and close to drinking. Instead, he looked for another alcoholic to talk to. That led him to Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon who was still drinking.
Their conversation is usually counted as the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. Bob had his last drink soon after, and the date of his sobriety is treated as the founding date of the fellowship. The two discovered something that became central: helping another alcoholic kept them sober themselves.
Word of mouth, then a book
For the first few years, the program was passed along in person. Bill later described it as roughly six informal steps: admitting defeat, taking an honest look at yourself, confessing to someone, making amends, helping others, and praying to God for power.
As more drinkers got sober, members decided to write a book so the message could reach people they’d never meet. While drafting it in 1938, Bill expanded the informal program into twelve steps. Spelling it out in smaller pieces made it harder for a drinker to skip the uncomfortable parts.
The argument over “God”
Not everyone in the early groups agreed about religion. Some members were Christians; some were agnostics. The drafts went back and forth. The final version kept God in many of the steps but added the phrase “as we understood Him,” so that people who weren’t believers would still walk in the door.
For Christians, that phrase doesn’t water anything down. It simply leaves you to name the God you already know. See higher power.
1939: the book
The book Alcoholics Anonymous was published in April 1939. Its fifth chapter laid out the Twelve Steps (p. 59). Members began calling it the Big Book because of the thick paper of the first printing. The steps you hear read at meetings today come from that page.
Since then, the steps have been adapted by many other groups, including Christian ones. See Christian 12-step programs.
Old paths for a new problem
There’s something fitting about how the steps came together. They weren’t invented from nothing. They were old practices of the faith, like confession, restitution and prayer, rediscovered by desperate people.
“Thus says the LORD: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Safety first. If you drink heavily every day, stopping suddenly can be dangerous. Talk to a doctor before you quit.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah take you through the steps the way the 1939 book lays them out, with Scripture alongside each one.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
Something to think about
The steps started with one drinker reaching out to another. Who is one person in recovery you could call this week, either to ask for help or to offer it?
A prayer of thanks
“God, thank You for the people who found their way back to You and wrote down what they learned. Thank You that the path they walked is open to me. Help me take it. Amen.”
To start at the beginning, read Step 1.
Common questions
Who wrote the 12 steps?
Bill W., one of the two co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, drafted them in the late 1930s while writing the book. Other early members read his drafts and argued over the wording before it was printed.
When were the 12 steps written?
They were written while the book was being prepared in the late 1930s and published in April 1939 in Alcoholics Anonymous.
Were the 12 steps based on the Bible?
Not directly. They came mostly through the Oxford Group, a Christian movement whose practices drew on Scripture: confession, restitution, prayer and sharing faith with others.
Why does it say 'God as we understood Him'?
Some early members weren't religious, and the group wanted the steps to be usable by anyone. The phrase was added to keep the door open. Christians understand God as revealed in Jesus.
Talk it through with Jimmy or Sarah — first month free
Jimmy and Sarah are AI sponsors who know the Twelve Steps and the Bible. They'll listen, walk the steps with you, and keep pointing you to real people: a meeting, a sponsor, a church.
Free to download · first month free, no card · adults 18+
After the first month, talking with Jimmy or Sarah needs Plus ($9.99/month or $59.99/year).
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