01. - Step Book - Preface
(excerpt)

The A.A. Twelve Steps are a series of principles based uniquely on spirituality. According to them, anyone who lives their life by these principles can free themselves from the compulsion to drink and become a happy, fulfilled person. [...]

Many non-alcoholics can also attest that the A.A. Twelve Steps have helped them through various difficulties in life. Therefore, the Twelve Steps can be seen not only as a guide to sobriety but also as a path to a successful, happy life for many, whether they are alcoholics or not.  
[Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, pp. 15-16]

Step Book - Step 1 - Part I

Step Book - Step 1:  
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”  
(excerpt) - I.

Who is willing to admit complete failure? Practically no one, of course. Every instinct in us protests against the idea of human helplessness. It is truly terrible to realize that, with a glass in hand, we are so entrenched in the compulsion for self-destructive drinking that only the intervention of Providence can free us.  
[12 Steps and 12 Traditions, p. 21]

Step Book - Step 1 - Part II

Step Book - Step 1  
(excerpt) - II.

No other failure can compare to this. Alcohol becomes a greedy loan shark, draining away all autonomy and willpower with which we could resist its demands. When we finally resign ourselves to this relentless fact, the failure of our lives is fulfilled.  
Upon joining A.A., we soon view this total humiliation from a completely different perspective. We understand that it is this very complete failure that makes the first step toward liberation and empowerment possible. Admitting our individual weakness ultimately becomes a solid cornerstone upon which a happy and purposeful life can be built.  
[12 Steps and 12 Traditions, p. 21]

Step Book - Step 1 - Part III

Step Book - Step 1  
(excerpt) - III.

We know that an alcoholic arriving at A.A. cannot hope for much good if he has not previously acknowledged his devastating weakness and all its consequences. As long as he is incapable of such humility, his sobriety—if it exists at all—will remain shaky. He has no chance for true happiness. Countless experiences undoubtedly prove this as one of the facts of the A.A. way of life. The principle is that we cannot attain lasting strength until we see our complete defeat, the root of our whole Movement's emergence and flourishing.  
[12 Steps and 12 Traditions, pp. 21-22]

Step Book - Step 1 - Part IV

Step Book - Step 1  
(excerpt) - IV.

This challenge to admit our failures initially provoked rebellion in most of us. Approaching A.A., we hoped to learn self-confidence. Instead, we were told that when it comes to alcohol, self-confidence is a useless trait: in fact, a total burden. According to our sponsors, we had become victims of an intangible obsession so strong that no human willpower can break it. They said that there is no personal victory over this entrenched passion without help. Mercilessly deepening our dilemma, our sponsors pointed to our increasing sensitivity to alcohol—they called it an allergy. Alcohol, this all-powerful tyrant, swung a double-edged sword over our heads: first, it forced a mindless desire upon us that doomed us to further drinking, then, through physical allergy, ensured that as a result of this process, we would ultimately destroy ourselves. Against such aggression, very few affected individuals have managed to prevail by their own strength. It is a statistical fact that alcoholics have hardly ever recovered relying solely on their own power. And this has obviously always been true since humanity first pressed grapes.  
[12 Steps and 12 Traditions, p. 22]

Step Book - Step 1 - Part V

Step Book - Step 1  
(excerpt) - V.

Why is there an emphasis on every A.A. member hitting rock bottom first? The answer is that few attempt to sincerely apply the A.A. program if they have not reached their own low point. The application of the remaining eleven Steps of the A.A. program assumes a level of conduct and capability that the still-drinking alcoholic can hardly dream of. Who wants to be strictly honest and tolerant? Who wants to admit their faults before others and make amends for the damage caused? Who cares whether there is a Higher Power, let alone meditate and pray? Who wants to spend time and energy trying to pass on the message of A.A. to their still-suffering fellow humans? Not the average alcoholic. Being utterly self-centered, they do not want to engage with these opportunities—except when forced to do so for their own survival.  
Driven by the scourges of alcoholism into A.A., the fatal nature of our situation unfolds before us. Only then do we become as unbiased and open-hearted as a dying person can be. We are ready to do anything that can free us from this relentless obsession.  
[12 Steps and 12 Traditions, pp. 24-25]