The 12-steps, which originated in the 1950s through the program of Alcoholic's Anonymous, have now become widely used tools to help people suffering from all kinds of addictions abstain from various behaviors and achieve recovery. The miraculous growth of this program has been phenomenal.
Honesty, Open-Mindedness and Willingness
The basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous, entitled the Big Book, states that "rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path, those who do not recover are men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates, they are not at fault. They seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigourous honesty."
The three key components that are required by an addict who is seeking recovery, which are the foundations of long-term sobriety, are honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, with these traits, addicts are well on their way to healing.
Attendance at 12-Step Meetings
Men and women of all ages across the globe are joining hand in hand in the fight to take back their lives, and with the help of the 12-steps, the fellowship, and a faith in a power greater then themselves, they are doing just that!
Food addiction, chemical dependency, sex and love addiction, nicotine addiction, spending addiction, and gambling addiction are all common 12-step fellowships. All are welcome, and none are judged in these meeting rooms. People from all walks of life can find unity in strength, bonding over a common problem through the 12-steps.
Regardless of age, race, ethnic background, sexual orientation, or gender, when addicts come to meetings, everyone is the same, and they are all treated as equals. That is the bond that holds the fellowship together.
The 12 Steps Toward Recovery
- In step one the addict admits their powerlessness over their addiction and the unmanagability that has become of their life.
- In the second step, they now come to believe in a Higher Power, and this power's ability to bring them back to sanity.
- The third step is about making a decision. The addict now decides that he is going to turn his will over to the Higher Power that he came to believe in through step two. This step is all about surrender, and turning over one's will. Any life lead by self-propulsion can not be successful.
- The fourth step is a moral inventory. During the fourth step, the addict takes a look at all of his resentments, and lists them on paper. This is the time to clean house. After he feels like he has made a thorough inventory, he can go back through his list, and look for his role in the resentments, and how he played a part in the anger and bitterness.
- When he reaches the fifth step, he opens up to his step sponsor about the previous step. He reads aloud his resentments and admits his fault. He does this in front of not only his sponsor, but his Higher Power as well.
- The sixth step draws off the previous two steps. The addict looks for patterns in his moral inventory, pointing out character defects. He lists them down on paper.
- Reaching the seventh step, the addict humbly asks his Higher Power to remove his defects of character from him.
- The eighth step is about harm done to others. Now he makes a list of all those he owes an amends to, leaving out no one. Amends want to be as thorough as possible.
- Having made a list of all those he has harmed, he now has come to the step where he is ready to make amends to those people, wherever possible. This is step nine.
- Step ten is continuing to take moral inventory. Now that he has cleaned up his side of the street, he wants to make sure that he keeps it clean, so he maintains a moral inventory daily. When he does wrong, he corrects it promptly.
- Step eleven is about prayer and meditation. This brings him closer to his Higher Power
- The last step, step twelve, is about service. By the time the addict has reached this step, if worked properly, this program will most likely have transformed a part of his life. This program works by people who have had success, sharing their success with newcomers. Now is the time to give away what was so freely given to him.
Components of Recovery
The 12-steps are only one component of the fellowship. Meetings, sponsorship, support, service, and a belief in a Higher Power, are all foundations upon which recovery can be built. If you work the program with rigorous honesty, your life will improve, this program is a testament to that.
The remarkable change that takes place in the rooms of these meetings can be astounding, as lives can be reformed and people are reborn. But a common slogan heard throughout the program is that "it only works if you work it," and many find that statement to be very true.
Addiction is the disease, and the steps are the medicine, if practiced daily, it is shown that people can recover, but "faith without works is dead."
Learn About Chemical Dependency:Symptoms of Chemical Dependency
Sources
Effectiveness of Twelve Step Treatment
One Step At a Time, "12 Step Programs"
Kathleen Odenthal - Kathleen Odenthal began her writing career in 2010 with Demand Media Studios, writing as a contributor for eHow. After that, she branched ...
