Cultivating an AA Morning Prayer Practice
Start Your Day with Strength and Hope by Cultivating an AA Morning Prayer Practice with Purpose Healing
Guidance on Using the Steps and AA for Morning Prayer
For many, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) plays a major role in alcohol addiction recovery. AA meetings are a free resource for people overcoming alcoholism. They provide a sense of community, which is crucial given the role social support can play for those healing from substance abuse.
The principles of AA also act as a guiding path to abstinence. They encourage personal and spiritual growth in various ways, helping members stay accountable, focused, and motivated.
So how can you build an even closer affinity to AA and strengthen your recovery?
This is part of where prayer can come in for people following the AA program (and this applies to NA as well, and can be helpful practice for people in many forms of Anonymous program).
Purpose Healing Center is a leading expert in Arizona addiction treatment. We use an effective, personalized approach, which can include 12-step meetings like AA.
So, what should you know about cultivating an AA morning prayer practice?
Let’s discuss what you should know and some daily prayers that may resonate with you.
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Cultivating an AA Morning Prayer Practice
The AA morning prayer is a daily prayer that people use to help them stay on track as they recover from alcoholism. By using this prayer, members start the day with a recovery-oriented mindset. Here is the eleventh step morning prayer:
“God, direct my thinking today so that it be empty of self-pity,
dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking, and fear.
God, inspire my thinking, decisions, and intuitions.
Help me to relax and take it easy.
Free me from doubt and indecision.
Guide me through this day and show me my next step.
God, show me what I need to take care of any problems.
Amen.”
The Big Book of AA (one of the primary texts used for AA members) has suggestions about how to use prayers and meditations. For example, the big book guides members to shift focus from their own desires; to pray for themselves only when it also helps others.
Members are encouraged to memorize a few prayers that emphasize the principles of the most time-honored Twelve Step program.
Understanding the Serenity Prayer
The most common version of the Serenity Prayer reads:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
This prayer acts as a reminder to accept what you can’t change and to act where you can. Many members find that it helps them take each day one step at a time, let go of worry, and stay grounded in their recovery goals and who they want to be.
Note that there are different versions of the Serenity Prayer. Some people choose to use the full version rather than the common version, which is shortened. At Purpose, we offer a printable Serenity Prayer resource so you can take these words of guidance with you wherever you roam!
AA is a welcoming space for people of all religious backgrounds. In AA, a higher power can be anything that resonates with you. You can use the Serenity Prayer regardless of your religious affiliation.
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The Twelve Steps and Prayer
There is a prayer for each of the 12 steps used in AA. These were created using the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Let’s use the third step prayer as an example.
In AA, the third step is “We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.” Remember, this can refer to any higher power.
Here is the corresponding Third Step prayer:
“God, I offer myself to Thee To build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy love, and Thy way of life. May I do Thy will always.”
What are the Benefits of Daily Prayer for AA Members?
AA members may find that prayer supports their emotional state and the facilitation of positive, recovery-oriented actions in various ways. While the potential benefits of prayer for AA members aren’t limited to the following, incorporating prayer into daily life can help you:
Stay Grounded in Recovery
Maintaining a consistent prayer practice can help you remain focused on recovery. Since you recite the prayer in the morning, it is a way to begin the day with a positive, recovery-oriented mindset. Many use affirmations for the same reason; to set themselves up for success.
Cope with Difficult Emotions in Daily Life
Prayer can act as an outlet, as well as a way to seek guidance and feel connected to a higher power. People often find that prayer is an important tool they can use to cope with difficult emotions and challenges in daily life as an alternative to substances.
Release What’s Outside of Your Control
Prayers such as the Serenity Prayer or the Prayer for Willingness can help you remove worry regarding things that are not within your control. This can help to reduce your stress and redirect your focus in a productive way.
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Purpose Healing Center provides evidence-based treatment for alcohol addiction. Our whole-person approach combines research-backed methods like behavioral and motivational therapies, 12-step groups, and other treatments, with supportive holistic practices and other activities.
Each person at our centers will get a personalized care plan. Our continuum of care supports the people at our facilities through all stages of recovery, from alcohol detox to aftercare and beyond.
We believe in your ability to recover and thrive. Call our admissions line to learn more about how we can help. All calls are confidential, so please reach out for support now.
FAQs on Cultivating an AA Morning Prayer Practice
What is the Alcoholics Anonymous nightly prayer?
The eleventh step nightly prayer in AA reads:
“God, forgive me where I have been resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid today. Help me
to not keep anything to myself but to discuss it all openly with another person – show me
where I owe an apology and help me make it. Help me to be kind and loving to all
people. Use me in the mainstream of life, God. Free me of worry, remorse, or morbid
(sick) reflections that I may be of usefulness to others.”
The eleventh step nightly prayer is similar to the eleventh step morning prayer. Both of these are derived from the Big Book of AA.
What is the AA upon awakening prayer?
Also derived from the Big Book, the upon awakening prayer is,
“God, I ask you to direct my thinking, I especially ask that my thinking be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives.”
What is the seventh step prayer in AA?
The seventh step prayer in AA is:
“My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding.”
What is the most popular AA prayer?
The Serenity Prayer is generally considered the most popular or widely known prayer used in AA.
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