At almost every AA meeting, someone reads “How It Works.” Many of us come to see the 12 Steps as rules—rigid and non-negotiable. If we don’t follow them, we fear we’ll drink again. But there's one phrase in that reading that deserves a closer look:
“Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery.”
That single word—suggested—offers a doorway into freedom. It invites, but does not force. It respects us as souls capable of choosing.
This idea echoes in the words of a lesser-known scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 58:26:
“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.”
By reflecting on the words commanded and suggested, we uncover something powerful about how AA works—and how God works. When we follow a set of suggestions, we engage our divine agency. We are choosing a better life. We are not driven by fear; we are drawn by love, truth, and healing.
Many in AA come to know their Higher Power as God the Father. He invites, but He will not compel. He wants us to come unto Him and be healed. But that healing comes only when we choose it—when we surrender our will and say, “I’m ready.”
As the Big Book says:
“This is the proper use of the will.”
So, are the 12 Steps just suggestions—or are they spiritual direction, time-tested by those who’ve walked the painful path before us? When freely chosen, they become a covenant of transformation.
Voices of Wisdom
William James:
“Our acts, our turning over of our will, is the vital step. Grace works upon us when we are willing to be acted upon.”
Bill Wilson:
“We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined.” (Big Book, p. 88)
Epictetus:
“God has entrusted me with myself.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“A man is what he thinks about all day long… The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”
2 Nephi 2:27 (Book of Mormon):
“Wherefore, men are free… to choose liberty and eternal life… or to choose captivity and death.”
Elder D. Todd Christofferson:
“God intends that His children should act according to the moral agency He has given them…”
Final Reflection
Whether it’s AA, scripture, philosophy, or literature, the message is consistent:
Suggestion is not weakness—it is a sacred invitation.
It’s the honoring of our divine capacity to choose. It’s the quiet voice of grace, asking us to act—not out of force, but out of hope.
Let us not miss that invitation. Let us not reject the dignity of our will. Let us rise and walk—freely—into healing.
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