I'd like to take a moment to share with you an idea about the first step which I feel is not expressed often enough in recovery.
The original first step of the Oxford group was known as "complete deflation". The Big Book speaks over and over again that the beginning of this journey is the realization that we are completely defeated (on a physical plane), complete hopelessness and zero power in our lives.
I think this is one of the ironies of the program and perhaps confusing to many people because it is not expressed - the fact that in order to commit to this program we MUST have a desire/willingness to stop, but then the first step is realizing at depth that the 'desire to stop' is absolutely useless... In other words, the baffling nature of this disease is the utter inability to leave it alone no matter the desire or necessity. Even the strongest desire to stop is of absolutely no avail, the addict has no mental defense against the first drink. Instead, his defense must come from a Higher Power.
Bottom Line: Instead of channeling our desire to stop into 'leaving it alone', we need instead to channel it towards a desire to seek God/spiritual life, because only HE can remove the obsession to act out.