Twelve Action step by Creator and Author of Second Chance to Live, Craig J. Phillips

You may say what a tall order! I can not do this alone. You are not
alone you have other survivors to go on the journey with you. You may
ask how I can do this. The answer is, by following these 12 action
steps: by Creator and Author of Second Chance to Live, Craig J. Phillips
MRC, BA

1- You may be powerless over many things but you are not helpless.
Although your life may seem unmanageable now, you no longer need to feel
like a victim.2- You do not have to be alone anymore to figure it out on
your own.3- By making the decision to turn your will and your life over
to the care of a power greater than your self, you will find an
unlimited source of encouragement and power.4- You can find out what you
have been doing to sabotage your life. You do not have to keep shooting
yourself in the foot of life.5- You no longer need to hide in the
shadows. You can trust the process. By admitting to God, to yourself and
to another human being the exact nature of your wrongs, you can find
freedom. You can make peace with both God and with yourself.6- You can
become entirely ready to have your defects of character removed. Be
encouraged my friend.7- You can be actively involved in the process of
having your defects of character removed by humbly asking God to remove
your shortcomings.8- By making, a list of the people you have harmed
(that you have gleaned through completing your 4th action step) you
become willing to make direct amends to them all.9- You make direct
amends (once you have completed the first 8 action steps and you have
talked with your sponsor) to the people to whom you have harmed.
Consequently you can make peace with your fellows, and in the process
make peace with yourself. You can be released from the burden of guilt
and shame.10- On a daily basis, you continue to take a personal
inventory and when you are wrong you promptly admit that wrong to the
person (s) that you have harmed. You continue to be accountable to and
for your self. You choose to keep your side of the street clean.11- You
do not have to live life each day by yourself. You can rely on a power
greater than your self to guide and direct your steps. You don’t have to
lean on your own understanding. You can pray for the knowledge of God’s
will for you and the power to carry that out. You can trust the process,
a loving God and your ability to learn from the process.12- Having had a
spiritual awakening as a result of working these 12 action steps you
attempt to carry the message of the 12 action steps to others and
continue to practice the principles of the 12 action steps in all your
affairs.
Note: The 12 action steps are not punitive in nature, but are instead to
be used as a tool to empower the individual to live life on life’s
terms. The 12 action steps by nature are meant to free the individual of
self-defeating behaviors so as to empower the individual to be of
maximum service to God and to their fellows.
_In the original text the 12 Steps the author wrote "we", where I have
written "you"._ I have used “you” instead of “we” to emphasize that you
and I are powerless over people, places and things. I have needed to
keep the focus on myself as I have worked through the 12 action steps.
In the event that I choose to focus on another person, place, event,
institution or thing, I will miss the benefit that can be gained as a
result of my working through the 12 action steps.
In my experience, I have come to realize that the 12 Action Steps are
not meant to point out where I am not measuring up. The 12 Steps of
recovery are meant to set me free from limiting behaviors and limiting
beliefs. Through my recovery process, I have also come to understand
that the 12 Action Steps are meant to be a guide to encourage, motivate
and empower my process as I seek to be of maximum service to a loving
God and my fellows — one day at a time — and thus fulfill my destiny.

Creator and Author of Second Chance to Live,
Craig J. Phillips MRC, BA