Customer Reviews

The Steps We Took

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is a great book by someone who knows. I would also recommend the book An Encounter With A Prophet for someone who know about the spiritual side

My name is Rita H and I just celebrated 17 years in the program.

I found the "The Steps We Took" in my 8th year. It is the best explaination of the steps I have ever read. My whole program took on a new dynamic after I started to apply the principals as stated in this book.

TSWT is a TRUE companion book to the Big Book. Someone finally wrote down the directions on how to work the steps.

I have purcahsed at least 25 copies of this book in the last 10 years. I also sponsor right out of it. I now have the confidence to "carry the message" without reservation. I use it to sponsor co-dependants and ACAs as well.

One day I plan to go to a Big Book Seminar and thank Joe McQ in person. His book and his thoughts on the program has given me a life of recovery filled with quality and dignity.

I was fortunate to have had a chance to hear Joe McQ on tape in 1990, while I was in India. The contents of those tapes (which are largly reproduced in this book), changed my life forever. In this book, using clear, simple and understandable terms, Joe translates the spiritual essence of the Steps into an extremely do-able set of practical instructions, which; if followed precisely, will ensure a life free from the ravages of one's particular addiction. With plenty of worksheets and visually pleasing graphics, the process is fluid and gently guides the student along the well-worn path of the steps, to the oft-achieved destination of freedom and sobriety. I strongly recommend this book to people who are getting "stuck" in "listless" sobriety, and even more so for those who are unable to stay sober, inspite of attendance at meetings, and repeated visits ot detox's/centers. May I humbly suggest that you buy a Big Book, Joe's Book and get a Sponsor who has worked these steps and is familiar with the "program"? With grattitude and good wishes.

the book has helped me so much. I wish someone had showed me the book when I first got sober cause it has helped me work the steps and better understand the Big Book.

This book is a classic. Joe McQ clearly understands theimplication and application of AA's spiritual program of action. Ihighly recommend this book. -- Frank D., Author of The Annotated AAHandbook.

In his book THE STEPS WE TOOK Joe McQ showed me just how easy it is to "Keep It, (The 12 Steps), Simple" by very clearly stating the intent and purpose of The "Big Book". His insights and knowledge of The "Big Book" have since helped me to not only turn my life around but to also understand and appreciate such to the point where I have been able to help numerous other "members" of the recovering community by simply suggesting that they read his book. It would be virtually impossible for me to even begin to describe how important this book is and how many times I have quoted it's content. A guy I sponsor who knew how much Joe McQ's book meant to me had the "bridge" in THE STEPS WE TOOK copied, matted and framed. He then gave such to me as a Christmas gift. After about 4 years, Joe McQ's bridge still hangs in a very prominant place in our home today. I believe that if Bill W. were alive today, he too would recommend Joe McQ's book.

As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for over twenty years, I'm always looking for some additional insights on working the twelve steps--especially for helping new sponsees taking the steps for the first time. I've listened to Joe and Charlie's Big Book study tapes many times over the years and always hear something new and valuable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this written interpretation and find it a noteworthy resource for someone new to sponsorship.

I found this book very insightful and helpful. I know a lot of people struggle with the God concept. They have been taught that God is hateful, vengeful, a task master, tracking our every misdeed. With that as your concept of God it is very difficult to find strength in this higher power. Joe, gives those reader searching, an opportunitty to try his God, of love, forgiveness, and understanding.
The book is well prepared, and will help those in recovery.

Thanks
Ben

I find it amusing that anyone would criticize this book, but of course part of true recovery is learning to stop looking for the bad in the good. It's sad, though, to think that one person's need to find fault in this beautiful book might prevent someone from finding the healing that lies here.

One of the slogans of any 12-step program is "Take what you life and leave the rest," and there's certainly a lot to like in this book. It contains profound words that create a deep and long lasting healing.

I found this book in my 19th year of sobriety in AA and 15th year in Al-Anon. It changed my life in ways the Big Book and the 12 by 12 never managed to. I use it with Sponsees because it provides an insightful, inspiring and illuminating view of the steps. I believe that a dynamic recovery means doing the steps over and over again and this book certainly facilitates that.

Another book I highly recommend is "Expect a Miracle" by Kathy Freston. It's new and you can get it at Amazon. This is an equally powerful book if you're ready for it!

Like all Big Book fundamentalist approaches to sponsorship and life, this book is limited by the limitations to the understandings available to AA members by 1939. God did not retire at that point, and, as promised, more is being revealed.

While effective for the first five steps, this book is limited to BB approaches, and so we get two paragraphs worth of Steps 6 & 7.

Its fundamentalism also seems to limit Joe's willingness to direct people to other readings that would help them recognize the absolute humanity of struggling to surrender character defects.

"The decision to live on a spiritual basis or to die an alcoholic death is not always an easy one." The lesson of Step 2 applies to all subsequent steps, and certainly to Steps 6, 7, and 8. Unfortunately,
the fundamentalist approach in this book suffers from "progress bias"; once we get past each step, it is treated as background, and only the step at hand is treated.

This is a good reference, but not a guide to sponsorship.