A Program of Action

As an atheist with long-term sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous, I am occasionally asked how I resolve my atheist philosophies with the program's strong reliance on belief in God's participation in recovery from alcoholism. I have been asked, for example, "How do you work the program when you don't believe in God? Do you just skip the God Steps? What do you turn your life over to? I can see how you could do Step One, and maybe even Two, but how does an atheist do Step Three?" I have asked myself all those questions and many more over the years as I learned how to stay sober within AA.