12 Step Program - article about 12 Step Program

The 12-step program is a remarkable entity. The 12-step program is a longstanding, widely offered and used device for recovery. The 12-step program, to put it right out there, is a life saver. Originating with two alcoholics (Bob and Bill) who realized helping each other and following some principles (and abstaining) and a higher power (of your choice) would help many needing to heal from the throes of alcoholism, the 12-step program began as Alcoholics Anonymous. From there, other groups off-sprung, such as the 12-step program Narcotics Anonymous, the 12-step program ACA, Adult Children of Alcoholics, the 12-step program Overeater’s Anonymous, and many others (for smoking, sex addiction, codependency, et. al.).

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs….

The 12-step program is anonymous, puts “principles before personalities,” and costs nothing (a basket is passed at meetings, and you contribute if you wish).

The 12-step program suggests a process, which includes, of course, taking nothing, following the steps, and getting a sponsor. As it is always controversial to describe and define in individual terms, I will just leave you with what I recall best of 12-step recovery: as one recovering/recovered addict always said, “Just don’t take nothing and don’t hurt nobody.” He also said, to those new to the process, “Sit down, shut up, and listen.” That’s all you have to do.

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