Step Three

This pamphlet covers AA’s Step Three: “Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” It goes into the obstacles that many find to making that decision, as well as how to overcome them.

Step Three is one of the most important of the Twelve Steps. For some, it can also be one of the most challenging, since it has the “God” word in it and it refers to God as male. To decide if you’re ready to take the Third Step, think back on the work you’ve done on Steps One and Two. You don’t have to have completed these Steps perfectly before moving on to Step Three, but the Third Step will not be of much help to you unless you’ve already done some serious work on the first two Steps. Steps One and Two prepare you to make this decision about Step Three. All you need to begin is to be willing. Your aim is “progress, not perfection.”