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    Spiritual Steps: Spiritual Principles and Biblical Doctrine of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
    Spiritual Steps: Spiritual Principles and Biblical Doctrine of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
    Spiritual Steps: Spiritual Principles and Biblical Doctrine of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
    Ebook83 pages1 hour

    Spiritual Steps: Spiritual Principles and Biblical Doctrine of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous

    By Dr. Kevin Means

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    About this ebook

    The writers of the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book presented twelve steps to a better life. Spiritual Steps discusses those steps and the spiritual principles associated with them. The information within these pages is not just for the suffering alcoholic or drug addict but is a tool that can benefit all people in all walks of life.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWestBow Press
    Release dateMar 28, 2012
    ISBN9781449743901
    Spiritual Steps: Spiritual Principles and Biblical Doctrine of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
    Author

    Dr. Kevin Means

    Dr. Kevin Means is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who works daily with people in recovery as the director of the Doddridge County Day Report Center in West Union, West Virginia. He lives with his wife, Cynthia Rose, in New Milton, West Virginia. They have five children: Kayla “Bob”, Cassidy, Jenna, Justin, and Jordan.

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      Book preview

      Spiritual Steps - Dr. Kevin Means

      Contents

      Preface

      Introduction

      Step 1

      Step 2

      Step 3

      Step 4

      Step 5

      Step 6

      Step 7

      Step 8

      Step 9

      Step 10

      Step 11

      Step 12

      The Conclusion of the Matter

      Notes for Spiritual Steps

      Bibliography

      About the Author

      To my wife, Cynthia Rose, and my father and mother, Clinton and Nancy Means, who believed in me when I had lost belief in myself.

      Preface

      I had my first drink of beer at thirteen. Where I grew up in North Central West Virginia, it was essentially a pubescent rite-of-passage with which no long-term repercussions were associated. My flirtatious Saturday night affairs with alcohol put me in contact with people and substances that allowed me to quickly graduate to drugs. Although I was an alcoholic at an early age, I was able to complete High School, graduate from West Virginia University (magna cum lauda) with a BA in anthropology, and obtain a graduate degree in archaeology from the University of London. After returning to the States, I accepted a position at WVU teaching anthropology and archaeology. I also owned and operated an archaeological consulting firm working with architects, engineers, and coal companies to help them meet state and federal mandates concerning historic and/or prehistoric properties. All of this was done on a steady diet of alcohol, opiates, THC, and benzodiazepines. By the time I reached my forties, I had lost my family, my position at WVU, my consulting firm, my driver’s license, my self-respect and the respect of the community, and was selling personal possessions to feed the beast within myself. After being admitted twice to hospitals for detoxification and hours of out- patient counseling sessions, with the help of my girlfriend (now wife) and parents, I checked myself into the Life Center of Galax, a twenty-eight day rehabilitation program in Galax, Virginia.

      In one of the bags I took on my search for sobriety, amongst books on Greek and Roman history and philosophy, West Virginia folktales, and anthropological ethnologies was a Holy Bible. In my second week of rehab I started a prayer meeting at 10:00 every evening on the 2nd floor of the Life Center with four or five in attendance. Although I hadn’t been in church since I was a kid, I assumed that our prayer meeting could begin with the Lord’s Prayer. Being that all the participants were veterans of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous we were very familiar with that one. Each evening after the opening prayer we would give thanks and ask for guidance and blessings on loved ones at home. By the third week of rehab our attendance had reached twenty-three recovering alcoholics and drug addicts singing hymns, reading scriptures, and praying for our sinful souls. I wasn’t a Christian saved by the Grace of Jesus Christ at that time but many people thanked me for leading them to the lord or reintroducing them to a childhood friend. Accolades aside, I had never felt so alive.

      After rehab I met a wonderful Christian woman who attended a Baptist Church. She introduced me to the King James Bible and showed me a life that was so much more fulfilling than I thought a Christian life would be. During a revival week in February of 2009 I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior and knew, that by the Grace of God, I would never see the inner rooms of a detox center again. . .at least not from a patient’s perspective. And for that I thank God daily. . . and, thank God for a supportive wife and family.

      Introduction

      The basic tenets of the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is spiritual in nature. In its original text¹ the AA Big Book, the first edition of the Alcoholics Anonymous book published in 1939, suggests that a belief and trust in God will save one from the devastating disease of alcoholism. In later editions the Name God has been removed and replaced with the completely vague and ambiguous term Higher Power. However, the spiritual principles that the original text conveyed are still the driving forces behind the plan for deliverance from alcohol and those principles can be found throughout the Holy Bible.

      For a spiritual person, the Bible should be among the most readable and understandable collection of books available. On the contrary, to the unregenerate man, the Bible is most often viewed as a series of disconnected chapters and verses written in unintelligible 17th century English.² The former group will prayerfully read the passages allowing the Holy Spirit to convey to their awaiting hearts the messages that are locked in the text. The latter group, however, will bicker and analyze the text checking for inconsistencies and contradictions and debating the proper interpretation of a single word.³ The spiritually minded person should not have to push himself to an understanding of the Word of God. Indeed, often times, Christians will spend an unimpressive amount of time trying to qualify a particular word or passage and completely miss out on the quality of the scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to pass them by

      At times, the authenticity of the Bible as being the absolute Truth and Inspired Word of God has come under scrutiny because of the degree of human involvement with its formation and preservation. For example, because humans performed the physical task of writing, some have questioned as to how much of the

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