A Gentle Path through the Twelve Steps: The Classic Guide for All People in the Process of Recovery

A classic tool in recovery!I write and date my answers in the same book. It has helped me so much to re-read what I wrote in prior step studies.I need to order this newer edition!

A group of us "oldtimers" started this book together via Zoom and it is SO affirming and calming because it address all the latest scientific proof that supports the brain change that happens when working the Steps. I've got 40 sober years in AA and I support and recommend this book as respectful to the 12 Step program.

I recommend this book to every one in ANY 12 step recovery program. I have used it & the 1st step took 90 pages alone, that's how THOROUGH a job this workbook does at helping one build a foundation in recovery. The entire book is 300 pages with LOTS of room to write! I use this with sponsee/sponsor relationships. It covers all addictions whether it is food, sex, alcohol or drugs, relationships, gambling, you name it! It has a very balanced approach to help one see their own powerlessness over becoming an addict in the 1st place & then helps one DO SOMETHING about it. It explores abuse histories for those like me who have suffered all forms of abuse & trauma as a child. FREE Yourself, finally, from the demons of your past that keep you in that shame/addiction cycle. This is the ONLY 12 step workbook that IS as gentle as it says it is, with plenty of breaks. Get to know the you that you have always known you could be, you know, the one who wasn't allowed to EXIST as a child. Words can't express what a miracle this WORKbook has been in my recovery. I've done 1st steps before, but never so completely. For the 1st time, I truly understand & accept powerlessness, and I owe it to the 90 pages of self-discovery this book gifted me with.... Get 2 copies because once everyone sees it, they want one too. Many paths, one journey.

Best 12 step workbook hands down. Recommend this to everyone! Heal yourself!❤️

Using this book with my sponsor was helpful. I recommend working the First Step with this book and a combination of Step Into Action workbooks. It takes longer to complete the First Step this way, but is very thorough. Seeing how Family of Orgin dynamics contribute to my addiction was eye-opening, and Step into Action really does not touch on this topic. The Gentle Patch exercise where I traced a family tree of addiction and abuse relieved me of a profound sense of shame. Due to the specific nature of my compulsion, I had thought, "It's just me who is an addict," but looking at my family through the lens of multiple addiction types (not just my own) enabled me to see that the majority of my family struggles with addiction in different forms. That exercise alone was worth the full price of the book.However, the Gentle Path recommends working the Eleventh Step in a way that I do not believe is practical for most people (e.g., taking months to prepare for a spiritual quest). Taking an extended spiritual quest may be helpful, but it is not one of the Twelve Steps. There are a handful of other places where Carnes throws in exercises that are his interpretation of how to work the Steps. My sponsor and I scratched are heads at these exercises and moved on.95% of this book is a well-structured, well-planned approach to working a program of recovery. This book is not intended as an "end-all, be-all" approach to working the Twelve Steps. TGP is not a replacement but a supplement, and as supplement to the Big Book and program-published literature, it is effective. When I began working my program of recovery after hitting bottom, I humbly admitted to myself, "OK, I don't know actually KNOW how to take these twelve actions. How do I truly work the Steps?" I was overwhelmed by the amount of work required to do my first and fourth steps. Carnes takes these large steps and breaks them down into small, doable pieces. Once my sponsor showed me that, I began to have hope I could actually go through all Twelve Steps instead of stalling out on a single step for months or years. I recommend most of the activities in this book in the order they are presented. The Gentle Path is like any other suggested tool in recovery: it works if you are willing to work it. If you don't agree or don't understand something in TGP, run it by your sponsor. If you feel uncomfortable, skip it, and work that step using the Big Book or other program literature.The naysayers who oppose The Gentle Path have, in my experience, done nothing to help me work my Steps, nor have they been able to give concrete evidence of specific examples where Carnes wrote something which opposes program published-literature. Some of the activities in TGP didn't make sense to me, but after doing this book from cover to cover (minus a few activities for reasons already described), I did not find anything that contradicts the Big Book or Step into Action literature. The only reason I give TGP 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the approach it contains to working the Eleventh Step.

Gentle does not mean easy. This is a workbook, not just a description of how to go through a twelve step program. I'm now using this as the text for a men's book study meeting on the 12 Step -- we just read through the book and attendees comment when they choose. This meeting format does not ask attendees to do any preparation, either between or within meetings. This is working well; there's generally enough "meat" in what we read and comment on for us to typically only get through a few pages in 45 minutes.For those willing to do the work between meetings, the exercises throughout are challenging. They bring out areas in each step that the reader personally needs to work on. The book is _not_ in my opinion suitable for someone new to recovery. But as a tool for working a serious program with a sponser it is top notch. Carnes' emphasis throughout on personal affirmations is particularly valuable, and is where the "Gentle Path" of the title is most appropriate.

This is a great way to experience the 12 Steps if you’re not finding satisfaction or worthwhile experiences from a group setting. Like me. Work with a therapist who has used this book and you won’t regret it. It’s actually quite enjoyable. Note: “co-dependent” is an antiquated term so learn about that before you crack the book. Otherwise, it’s fantastic!

Great book that my sponsor and I have been using. The book arrived damaged but outside of that, great book.

Great!

Patrick presents the 12 steps in an easy to read and enjoyable way. He promotes hope and encourages achievementVery good

I have actually done this workbook 3 times (this would be my 3rd time) with various groups of women in recovery. I would have to say that as intensive as it is, it also has been the one book that has contributed greatly to my own personal growth and the growth of the women I have worked with. Right now we are on Step one but its an awesome experience watching this group of ladies open up personally and discover things about themselves that they previously were unaware of. In addition it is the beginning of ending a long cycle of unmanageable and powerless living. We have discovered that once you see a why you do/react to a person, place or thing, you can begin to work on change. I love this book and wish it were not so hard to get. Its now rated as one of those "out of print" books.

This and The first 30 Days to Staying Sober, have totally transformed my life. I know now that I was rewarding myself with a glass or two of wine, say after the kids had gone to bed, or after painting, or doing some gardening. But then I was drinking for any occasion, there was always a reason. So after having bought this book and having read it through something just clicked and I have not had a drink since, I'm really pleased as I have found that I have so much more energy and generally I'm a lot happier. The book was great to read straight thru' and now I dip into it whenever I feel like it, and I always feel inspired, and content with what they are saying.I would recommend this book to anyone who felt that their drinking was becoming a problem/ out of hand. It has certainly changed me for the better. And I honestly don't even think of a drink now! Was it just a bad habit? I bought this book for my Kindle so cannot share it, but I would definately share it if I could.