I began to learn about surrendering last year. My brother had just died suddenly and my life was in chaos. I didn’t know what would happen and felt nervous about the changes.

During this time, I was working as a therapist at a rehab for those detoxing from drugs and alcohol. They were also working on the 12 steps detailed in Alcoholics Anonymous.

Our greatest lesson was to know that a higher power was supporting and helping us move forward. I know even when you are facing a rough situation that these steps are very powerful and a gift.

I was never a huge drinker but one year ago I stopped drinking any alcohol. I felt if those in the rehab were doing this so should I. The time since has helped me grow and learn to face problems head on.

Please know whatever happens there is always hope. When you begin to look deep within their are profound lessons which help us grow. I share these twelve steps to encourage you to make positive progress in your life.

Here is a summary of the 12 steps:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.