Our Step 2 AA Worksheet and PDF Resources

Start by telling the truth. The worksheet’s first section gives you room to admit your current positioning. You may have a belief in a Higher Power, resist spirituality, or be curious to learn more. Step Two doesn’t ask you for a definition of God or God as we understand Him or Her. It’s okay if your belief is hard to understand or define at this point.

If the spiritual language triggers shame or confusion, note it. Step Two can still work. Many people realize that they don’t know quite what they believe. Still, they can show willingness to believe that a power greater than ourselves might help. That’s a great starting point!

Section Two: Recognizing What Has Not Worked Before

Section Two is important because it’s where hope starts to feel more practical than theoretical. You list your attempts to stop using, not to recount your failures but to find patterns that aren’t worth repeating.

People who have an addiction sometimes try to “solve” their addictive behaviors by using tools that actually keep them stuck firmly in place – hiding, avoiding, minimizing use, or self-isolating. For example, white-knuckling doesn’t work. Use specific examples:

• “I tried to limit my drinking to 1 a day.”
• “I tried to quit alone.”
• “I hid my drinking problem from extended family members for over a decade.”

This section gives you a safe space to focus on what has happened without excuses or self-loathing.

The third section is where the “Higher Power” becomes clearer to many who question the ability to improve our conscious contact with God. “Bigger than me” in the 3rd section can mean many things: truth, love, community, your children, value, or a sense of purpose you hope to regain.

You are seeking something that helps you step out of self-directed survival mode and helps carry you into a better life, away from character defects and resentments.

You are also building bridges to future steps in the AA program. Keep this simple and focus on direction and not theology.

Section Four: Willingness Versus Belief in Step Two

You may not believe in a Higher Power when you start AA, but that doesn’t disqualify you from the program. Your willingness to try to understand the spiritual beliefs of the program can look, at first, like showing up to meetings, asking questions, or listening to your peers.

The 4th section of our PDF helps you note in what areas you are willing to change and where fear still runs the show. That self-awareness is key to succeeding in future steps.

Section Five: Defining What Could Restore Us to Sanity

The 5th section asks you to write a working definition, which can be spiritual, practical, or something that combines both. “Restore us to sanity” is AA’s way of discussing breaking harmful mental cycles that fuel addiction – rationalizing, bargaining, obsessing, to name a few.

Write a definition for the here and now. It’s okay if you change it in later steps.

“Came to believe” is language suggesting aprocess that takes time and assumes eventual growth. It makes room for people who are skeptical or wounded. Some people take weeks to be ready to move on in the healing process, some can take a year or more. Remember that you are not failing if you’re still learning and changing. Keep moving forward and ask yourself, “What would I do today if I believed help was possible?” Then, do one small thing in that direction.

Step Two is a cornerstone that helps prepare you for the rest of the Twelve Steps. For instance, it leads into the third step, where you decide to rely on something beyond your control.

After that, the steps get more practical and sometimes challenging. For example:

• Step 4 asks that you take a fearless moral inventory (“list all these defects”).
• Step 5 challenges you to admit the exact nature of your wrongs.
• In Steps 6 and 7, you’ll humbly ask that God remove any defects of character and shortcomings.
• Step 9 means making direct amends to people you harmed during addiction (people wherever possible, except when it would cause harm).
• Step 10 is the start of ongoing maintenance. You’ll take another personal inventory and when wrong, promptly admit it.
• Step 11 asks you to deepen your conscious contact with the Higher Power through prayer and meditation.
• In step 12, you carry the message forward in all our affairs, helping other alcoholics and to practice the principles in your own life.

That’s just a sneak peek – for today, stay focused on Step 2.

This phrase refers to hope that has real power. “Believe that a power greater can help” doesn’t mean you are spiritually confident.

Rather, it suggests that you’re willing to accept that your own efforts alone haven’t improved your daily life. One tip is to replace the word “believe” with “consider” as you start mulling over the notion of a relationship between us and the power.

The term “Power Greater” is intentionally open language. Some people pray to God in a traditional sense. Some are open to praying only for knowledge.

What matters here is that your belief system supports honesty and humility. The goal is freedom from addiction.

Greater Than Ourselves Could Mean Something Personal

This phrase, like the others we’ve discussed, is also flexible and allows room for varied human beliefs. In fact, this is a rich topic for AA meetings, and is often take up by groups as members look at their own conceptions of a power greater than themselves.

For some, it means trusting God, while others see it as a set of spiritual principles to practice on the hardest days.

Why AA Says ‘Could Restore Us to Sanity’ Instead of Demanding Belief

AA program doesn’t promise “will restore,” it says “could restore,” because Step 2 is an invitation to growth, not a demand.

It’s also worth noting that “sanity” isn’t an insult; it refers to the broken cycle that tells you the lie that you can heal your alcohol addiction without support.