Step Zero

I heard a member say a thing that I had never heard
He opened up our meeting with a statement, quite absurd
We know they’re only twelve steps in the program of AA
It came as a surprise to hear what this man had to say

Officially they’re only twelve, he made that very clear
But to his way of thinking, there’s another we should hear
He called the thing Step Zero, was convinced that it was real
The step before we did the Steps, the Ones that helped us heal

According to the speaker it’s a step we all have taken
It started when our will to give up booze had been forsaken
But, unlike the other twelve where you do one and then the next
We often times repeat this step under a false pretext

We tell ourselves that we can stop at any time we choose
If things get bad, we make a vow, of giving up the booze
Then bad things come, we shrug them off, a victim of bad luck
Arrested for a DUI, a wrong turn in our truck

That should have been a wake-up call, we might just have some problems
But then our thinking takes a turn, we know just how to solve them
We’ll only drink when we’re at home and maybe cut back it back
The spouse comes home at 2PM, we’re passed out in the sack

What used to be a pleasant thing has turned into obsession
We can not stop, it speaks to us, a victim of possession
Controls our thoughts and actions, has become our evil hero
Dictating we keep tethered to this thing some called step zero

When mired in this step it often seems there’s no way out
Until we reach the point where we’ve no choice except to shout
Please help us, someone, we‘re done, just can-not live this way
We’re willing to do anything, might even try AA

Moving past step zero is a harrowing event
We fought this change for so long, our exposure to prevent
Admitting we were hopeless and surrender to defeat
Unsure of the reaction from those people that we’ll meet

To our surprise, they welcomed us, invited us to stay
A fellowship of folks like us, to show us a new way
To put that step behind us, find serenity and fun
It all begins the moment we decide to take Step One.

Larry R.