What Are the AA Promises All About?

Learn What the Promises Are in the AA Big Book and in Lived Experience

I will never forget my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, clenching the metal edges of a folding chair and doing everything I could to keep from bolting for the door. I didn’t know what the AA promises were yet, as I was too focused on the overwhelming feelings of fear, shame, and withdrawal to take in much of anything.

But I kept showing up. I didn’t know it then, but that was the beginning of something that would completely transform my life.

If you are wondering about the AA promises and if they can come true for you or a loved one, please keep reading my experiences and how they can translate to your life or for someone else struggling.

And remember, if you need a firm foundation from which to achieve these promises, the good people of Ingrained are available night and day for confidential consultation.

Coming to Ingrained Recovery: My Turning Point

Before I found the AA community, I had to hit a bottom that nearly killed me. My alcohol addiction had stripped away everything I valued. I’d lost my job, my relationships, and even my sense of self. It was at that breaking point that I checked into Ingrained Recovery.

That place was the first space where I could take a breath without judgment.

The staff didn’t try to fix me. Instead, they listened. They introduced me to the AA program and helped me take my first shaky steps into the recovery process. That decision to seek addiction treatment was the most important move I ever made.

If you’re on the edge, feeling tired of the cycle, and feeling like your whole attitude and outlook upon life are broken, please consider reaching out to Ingrained. It was the first light in my tunnel. And what I found on the other side were the AA promises.

The AA Promises: Hope Woven into Words

You can find the AA promises located in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, right after Step Nine. They’re not guaranteed in the traditional sense. No one’s handing out happiness or peace in neat little packages.

But these promises speak to something more enduring. They symbolize hope born from action and from doing the work.

A New Freedom and a New Happiness

One of the first promises I remember reading was, “We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.” Back then, I couldn’t even imagine it. I was buried in uselessness and self-pity. Every day felt like a punishment. I didn’t realize that my recovery journey was slowly rewiring something deep inside me.

That new freedom? It wasn’t about doing whatever I wanted. It was the freedom from being controlled by my addiction.

And that new happiness? It started with the tiniest moments of peace. Things like watching the sun rise and actually caring that it did.

What Happens When the Promises Start Coming True?

At first, I didn’t notice them. I was attending AA meetings, working the Twelve Steps, and trying not to fall apart.

But one day, I suddenly realized I hadn’t thought about drinking in hours. That moment was small, but it shook me. It meant something was changing.

We Will Lose Interest in Selfish Things

One of the most surprising things about the promises of AA is the way they shift your focus. I used to be locked in self-seeking and self-pity. It was how I survived. But the AA program, especially the conducting a ‘fearless moral inventory,’ forced me to confront those parts of myself.

And over time, I started to lose interest in selfish things. My life became more about others, about showing up for fellow AA members, and about building a more fulfilling life than I’d thought possible.

The Promise of Emotional Stability

For years, I chased peace through the bottle. But real emotional stability came not from numbing my pain, but from processing it. Through Alcoholics Anonymous, I learned to sit with feelings I used to run from. And in doing so, I gained a kind of personal growth I never expected. I no longer live at the mercy of my emotions.

We Will Intuitively Know

This was one of the more abstract promises for me. “We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.” I used to overthink everything. I’d run every decision through a dozen mental filters and still end up paralyzed with fear.

But as I worked the steps and began trusting something outside of myself, that changed. I don’t mean I became magically wise overnight. However, I did start to respond to life differently. My instincts got sharper. I stopped reacting from fear and started responding from a place of clarity and calm. That’s a miracle I never expected.

Fear of People and Financial Insecurity Will Leave Us

When I first heard this one, I thought, Yeah, right. Fear ruled my life. Especially fear of people. I was convinced everyone could see right through me and judged me for what I’d done.

But over time, the 12 steps stripped away that fear. They gave me something stronger to stand on: integrity. I stopped trying to impress people and started trying to be of service. The financial piece came slowly, but it came. I stopped chasing quick fixes and started showing up for life. That consistency turned into stability, one day at a time.

We Will Not Regret the Past Nor Wish to Shut the Door on It

This one hit me in the gut. I spent years buried in regret, haunted by what I’d done, who I’d hurt, and all the time I’d wasted. But AA taught me something powerful: my past isn’t a life sentence. My past is a tool.

I get to use those dark chapters to help someone else find the light. And once I began doing that, the shame lost its grip. My story has value, not despite the pain, but because of it. I don’t wish any of it away anymore. It brought me here.

Self-Pity Will Disappear

This one took time. I didn’t overcome self-pity overnight. But as I kept working the steps and connecting with other AA members, it started to fade. I began to see that I wasn’t uniquely broken or hopeless. I was human. And there was real power in owning that.

Spiritual Growth and the Higher Power Element

I was not religious when I came to AA. I’m still not, really. But finding a higher power of my own understanding has been crucial. It helped anchor me in something beyond myself.

Spiritual growth, for me, looks like this: pausing before I react, praying when I don’t know what else to do, and trusting that I’m not running the show anymore.

Comprehend the Word Serenity

I used to think the word “serenity” was just fluff. It was some vague concept people threw around in meetings. Now, it’s what I wake up hoping to feel. I’ve come to comprehend the word serenity as a kind of internal stillness, even when the world is loud. It’s something I work for every day.

The Promises in My Daily Life

There’s this beautiful line in the Big Book that says, “Are these extravagant promises? We think not.” And they’re not.

They’re just what happens when we live the AA principles. When we show up, do the work, and stop trying to manage everything on our own.

Gain Interest in Others

Before recovery, I didn’t care much about anyone else unless they had something I wanted. But in the AA community, I started to gain interest in other people’s stories, their struggles, and their wins. That newfound sense of connection filled a hole I didn’t know I had.

In this study from the National Institute of Health, it has been proven that making connections greatly improves one’s well-being. It makes sense then that the more I build up my fellowship in AA, the more fulfilled I feel.

How the AA Promises Help Maintain Sobriety

The promises aren’t just something you reach, they help you stay grounded. Maintaining sobriety isn’t just about not drinking. It’s about having a life that makes you want to stay sober. That’s what the promises of AA offer.

Economic Insecurity Will Leave Us

This one felt almost impossible when I first read it. I was drowning in debt and couldn’t hold a job.

But as I stayed sober and rebuilt trust with myself and others, things started to turn around. The more I focused on recovery, the more manageable life became. Even the money stuff.

What the Promises in AA Cannot Accomplish

They’re not magic spells. You don’t say a prayer and wake up fixed. The AA promises originated from people who committed to real change. They’re the result of painful honesty, consistent action, and spiritual willingness.

Alcoholics Anonymous Serves as a Lifeline

Alcoholics Anonymous doesn’t just hand you recovery. It offers a lifeline. The meetings, the sponsorship, the collective wisdom are all there if you’re ready to grab hold. Attending AA meetings regularly is still part of how I protect my mental health and stay connected to my growth.

The Transformation of the Whole Attitude and Outlook

Before, my whole attitude and outlook upon life were shaped by fear and shame. I thought I was destined to stay stuck. Now, I live a more fulfilling life than I ever imagined. It is not because everything’s perfect, but because I’m no longer numb.

Alcohol Addiction No Longer Defines Me

For years, “alcoholic” felt like a death sentence. But today, alcohol addiction is part of my story, but it is not my core identity. I am now a ‘man in recovery.’ That shift didn’t happen overnight. It happened as the promises started to unfold, slowly and then all at once.

The Role of AA Membership in Personal Growth

Being part of the AA community gives me a chance to give back, which in turn fuels my personal growth. I’ve sponsored others, shared personal stories, and held space for people who needed to be heard. Each time I do, I feel more whole.

Lose Interest in Selfish Things and Gain Interest in Others

It’s worth repeating. When I lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in others, my life expands. I’m no longer stuck in the prison of me. That’s a kind of freedom I didn’t know I needed.

A New Sense of Purpose

Before sobriety, I was just surviving. Day to day, drink to drink. I didn’t have goals or dreams, only cravings and regrets. But as the promises began unfolding in my life, something unexpected happened: I found purpose. It wasn’t some grand revelation. It came in quiet moments.

Moments like sponsoring someone for the first time, or showing up early to make coffee at a meeting. Slowly, I began to feel like I mattered again. Like my life had weight and direction. That sense of purpose didn’t come from fixing everything, it came from being willing to serve.

A More Fulfilling Life Is Possible

If you’re asking, “What are the AA promises?” then I have an answer. They’re a blueprint for transformation.

They’re not promises made to us, they’re promises made through us, as a result of action. And if you’re still stuck in the thick of addiction, I want you to know that this life is possible.

Get Help at Ingrained to Make the Promises Come True for You

If you’re struggling and you’re ready to take that first step, I can’t recommend Ingrained Recovery enough. They were there for me when I couldn’t be there for myself.

They helped me start the recovery process that brought me to the AA program and introduced me to the promises that now shape my life.

You don’t have to hit bottom to reach out. You just have to be willing to try something different. If you’re ready to begin your own path to a fulfilling life in recovery, call Ingrained today. Your life can change, just like mine did.

It all starts with picking up the phone.