Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps

The beloved landmark book illuminating the spiritual journey of untangling our lives from addiction, from the bestselling author of The Tears of Things and The Universal Christ

“Brother Rohr may just take you to places you’ve both avoided and longed for—to truth, union, joy, laughter, and, greatest of all, to your own precious self, here on earth with us, child of God.”—Anne Lamott, from the foreword to Breathing Under Water

In Breathing Under Water, Richard Rohr brings together the wisdom of Christian spirituality and the lived practice of the Twelve Steps, revealing how both point to the same transformative path of surrender, healing, and grace. Drawing on Scripture, psychology, and decades of pastoral experience, Rohr shows how addiction—whether to substances, behaviors, or rigid patterns of thinking—names a universal human condition rather than a personal failure.

Moving through each of the Twelve Steps, Rohr reframes them as a practical, incarnational spirituality that leads not merely to sobriety but to a profound reorientation of consciousness, relationship, and desire. Addiction becomes a doorway to awakening; admitting our powerlessness becomes the first step in attaining freedom.

Written in Rohr’s characteristic blend of theological depth and pastoral compassion, Breathing Under Water offers a hopeful and demanding vision of recovery—one that invites readers to let go of false control, encounter a merciful God, and discover what it means to truly learn how to breathe again.

Richard Rohr is a globally recognized Franciscan friar and ecumenical teacher whose work bears witness to the deep wisdom of Christian mysticism. He is the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, an educational nonprofit that introduces spiritual seekers to the Christian contemplative path of transformation. He is the author of many books, including the New York Times bestseller The Universal Christ, Falling Upward, and Breathing Under Water. His work has been featured on Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday, Krista Tippett’s On Being, and in The New Yorker and Harper’s Magazine.