Step Three

“Made a decision to turn our will and
our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”

Tradition Three

“The only requirement for A.A.
membership is a desire to stop drinking.”

Step Three has only 20 words. Tradition Three has even fewer: 12. And yet that Step and Tradition have the power to change people’s lives in amazing ways.

The Third Step requires each of us to decide who will run our lives—ourselves, or a Higher Power. For me, it was easy to know that I had made a mess of my life by trying to control people, places and things—including my use of alcohol and other drugs.

The harder decision was to trust my Higher Power, whom I call God, enough to pull my hands off of the steering wheel of my life, so that He could steer me in the right direction. Many days, I have moments when I have to recommit my will and my life to His care.

The Third Tradition makes it simple to know who is a “member” of A.A.—anyone who has a desire to stop drinking.

That means that the chronic relapser who dusts himself or herself off and keeps coming back is just as much a member as the person who remained sober after the very first meeting.

Step Three and Tradition Three are short, sweet and powerful—they are simple, but often not easy. They keep us grounded.