Become a leader — Step Twelve

After you've been through the Steps a couple of times, you're a few years sober, and things are going well, it is time to become a leader. What does this mean? Well, it certainly does not mean taking command. It does mean taking action however.

The main features are these:

Acting as a co-custodian of the traditions and concepts at your 'base camp' home group.
Starting a new Big Book-based, step-focused 'outreach' group (away from the home group you got sober in), preferably in a part of town where there is a great need for solid recovery but where there are few if any Big Book or step meetings.
Engaging in service above group level to take a role in running the AA service structure and in carrying AA's message to the outside world.

There is a point at which one has to become a giver as well as a taker and use the strength of the base camp AA group to extend the message out into the AA world as a whole and indeed the world as a whole.