Most people have heard of the 12 steps. Fewer know that many AA members and treatment programs associate each step with a guiding virtue, and together those virtues are often called the 12 principles of AA. While AA does not publish one official list, commonly used versions include qualities like honesty, courage, humility, and service. The steps are actions and practices you work through, while the principles are qualities you build. They are the “why” underneath the “what,” and for many people in recovery, the principles are what keep sobriety meaningful long after the steps have first been worked. In this article, we walk through each of the AA principles, show how they pair with the steps, and offer practical ways to live them out day by day. At Mile High Recovery Center in Denver, we offer evidence-based care in Denver, including intensive outpatient and residential treatment.
What Are the 12 Principles of AA?
The principles of AA are spiritual values commonly associated with each of the 12 steps. You will not find one official list in AA’s core literature. Instead, AA members, sponsors, and recovery programs have developed several informal lists that name the virtue each step may help cultivate. Step One is often linked with honesty. Step Two is associated with hope. Step Twelve is connected with service. Over time, versions of this widely shared list became companion tools to the steps themselves.
That distinction matters. The steps can be worked in sequence, often with a sponsor, but they are also revisited and practiced throughout recovery. The spiritual principles of AA are something you practice continuously. This is what old-timers mean when they talk about “practicing these principles in all our affairs,” a phrase pulled directly from Step Twelve. If you are newer to this framework, our overview of the 12-step model is a helpful starting point.
How the Steps and Principles Line Up
Here is one commonly used pairing of each step with its corresponding principle. Because AA has not adopted an official one-to-one list, wording may vary among groups and recovery programs:
| Step | Focus of the Step | Guiding Principle |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Admitting powerlessness | Honesty |
| 2 | Believing in a power greater than ourselves | Hope |
| 3 | Turning our will over | Faith |
| 4 | Taking a moral inventory | Courage |
| 5 | Admitting our wrongs | Integrity |
| 6 | Becoming ready to change | Willingness |
| 7 | Asking for shortcomings to be removed | Humility |
| 8 | Listing those we harmed | Love |
| 9 | Making amends | Justice |
| 10 | Continuing personal inventory | Perseverance |
| 11 | Prayer and meditation | Spirituality |
| 12 | Carrying the message | Service |
The AA Principles in Practice
Knowing the list is easy. Living it is the work. Below is a closer look at how the principles show up in real recovery.
Honesty, Hope, and Faith: The Foundation
The first three principles help rebuild your relationship with reality. Honesty means admitting the problem without minimizing or blaming. Hope means believing change is possible even when you have relapsed before. Faith means trusting a process bigger than your own willpower, whether you understand that as God, a higher power, or simply the collective wisdom of the group. Secrecy and despair can make recovery harder, so these three principles may help counter some of the patterns that keep substance use hidden or untreated.
Courage, Integrity, and Willingness: The Housecleaning
Steps Four through Six ask you to look inward, and the principles behind them make that possible. Courage lets you examine resentments, fears, and harms without flinching. Integrity means saying those findings out loud to another person, closing the gap between who you are publicly and who you are privately. Willingness is the quiet decision to actually change rather than just understand yourself better.
Humility, Love, and Justice: Repairing Relationships
The middle principles turn attention outward. Humility is an accurate view of yourself, neither inflated nor self-hating. Love asks you to consider the people your addiction affected. Justice means taking responsibility and repairing harm through amends where possible, not just apologies. Direct amends should not be made when doing so could cause further harm. Our guide on how to apologize and make amends in recovery breaks down how this principle works when it is time to face the people you have hurt.
Perseverance, Spirituality, and Service: The Maintenance Principles
The final three principles are about sustaining recovery for life. Perseverance keeps you doing daily inventory even when things are going well. Spirituality keeps you connected to meaning through prayer, meditation, or reflection. Service means giving away what you were given, whether by sponsoring, setting up chairs, or simply answering the phone when a newcomer calls.
Why These Principles Work
The AA spiritual principles are not just moral ideals. They can directly counter many of the patterns that drive addiction. Research on AA and professionally delivered Twelve-Step Facilitation for alcohol use disorder has linked participation with improved abstinence outcomes. The evidence evaluates the broader AA and 12-step approach rather than this specific list of virtues, but the principles may still support recovery in several practical ways. In practice, they help by:
- Replacing secrecy with honesty, which can make it easier to seek support
- Building structure and accountability through regular inventory and sponsorship
- Supporting efforts to repair damaged relationships, which may strengthen a recovery network
- Creating purpose through service, which gives recovery a reason beyond simply not using
- Encouraging emotional awareness through humility, acceptance, and daily reflection
These benefits apply regardless of the substance involved. Whether someone is recovering from alcohol, cocaine, or prescription stimulants, the principles address the underlying patterns. Many people are surprised to learn how similar those patterns look across substances, which is why questions like is Adderall addictive come up so often in our programs. For more on why this framework holds up, see our article on why the 12-step approach works for addiction treatment.
Practicing the 12 Step Principles Every Day
You do not have to be working a specific step to practice its principle. Try building small daily habits around them:
- Start the morning by picking one principle to focus on that day
- Do a two-minute honesty check each evening: What did I avoid or minimize today?
- Reach out to one person in your network, either to offer support or ask for it
- Correct small mistakes promptly when doing so is safe and appropriate
- Discuss significant amends with a sponsor, therapist, or trusted recovery support first
- End the day with a short gratitude or meditation practice tied to the spirituality principle
12 Principles of AA: Frequently Asked Questions
Are the 12 principles of AA official AA literature?
Not exactly. AA’s core texts describe the steps and refer generally to practicing their principles, but they do not endorse one official list pairing each step with a single virtue. Several informal versions are widely used by members, sponsors, meetings, and recovery programs, and slight variations exist, especially for Steps Eight and Nine.
What is the difference between the 12 steps and the 12 principles?
The steps are specific actions and practices you work through, often with a sponsor, like taking inventory or making amends. The principles are the character values those actions may help build, such as honesty, humility, and service. The steps may be worked in sequence and revisited over time, while the principles are practiced continuously throughout life.
Do I have to be religious to follow AA principles?
No. While AA uses spiritual language, including references to God and a higher power, the principles are practical virtues anyone can adopt. Members define a higher power in their own way, and many agnostics and atheists work the steps successfully by focusing on honesty, community, accountability, and service.
