The 12 Steps are a set of principles developed to help people struggling with addiction change their beliefs. Together, they act as a framework for sustainable recovery. In addition, 12 Step communities of all types help provide the support and responsibility that many recovering addicts crave. According to the American Society for Addiction Medicine, Twelve Step Facilitation Therapy is a Tried and Proven Approach.
Why does it work? The steps encourage the practice of honesty, humility, acceptance, courage, compassion, forgiveness and self-discipline paths to positive behavior change, emotional well-being, and spiritual growth. To learn more about our Lifeline First Aid Program, call (88) 731-FIRE (347) today to talk to a treatment counselor about your options. In Al-Anon, the twelfth step says trying to get the message to “others” and in Alcoholics Anonymous it says alcoholics. But the principle is the same.
To work on the 12 steps, you must try to help others. Is AA right for you? To find out, it's important to carefully explore the principles of AA. For Wilson and Smith, surrendering to a “higher power” was an integral part of developing their plan. Today, some critics of the program find that aspect of AA problematic, arguing that self-empowerment is an effective way to control addiction and achieve lasting recovery.
The first step in AA is to admit your helplessness, which boils down to a level of honesty that many addicts have not achieved until now. Many people under the spell of addiction or alcoholism think that “it's not that bad or that they can” stop at any time. Step 2 is about finding faith in some higher power, and the accompanying principle of hope means that you should never give up that faith, even when you suffer a setback. This virtue is easy to understand when it comes to practicing it on a daily basis.
In recovery, not every moment will be positive, but if you keep that hope and faith alive, you will return to the other side. Step 4, which involves documenting all the mistakes you've made, is clearly linked to courage. Part of your past will be painful, and you may have to deal with some of your biggest regrets. Living courageously means that you can start from scratch without forgetting your past completely.
Step 5 consists of taking the moral inventory made in step 4 and admitting first to God, to yourself and finally to another person. You can practice integrity in your recovery by talking about everything that makes you feel guilty and your mistakes. Basically, having integrity is living honestly. In step 6, you need to prepare to have your sins taken away by admitting to yourself that you are fully ready to overcome them.
Will as a virtue means that you have to be prepared to be acquitted in order to move forward without looking back. You must have a good disposition in everything you do. In step 4, you catalogued your past, and in step 6, you admitted them and freed yourself from guilt and shame. Step 7 is to be willing to free yourself from your past.
In step 8, you ask God for forgiveness, or another higher power. Humility is one of the simplest principles to understand because it is simple. When you're humble, you're aware of the fact that you're not an important part of the big picture. Humility in daily practice means never seeing you more important than you are.
Step 10 refers very clearly to its own principle. It's one thing to take a personal inventory and admit our mistakes once. Discipline is needed to continue doing this throughout life. Step 11 tries to move forward without losing the notion of a higher power.
The ongoing awareness that this requires makes it easy to match the step with the principle that accompanies it. Most sponsors encourage AA newcomer to attend 90 meetings in 90 days. It can seem like a lot and it can seem like a long time to commit to going to meetings. However, most 12-step programs, including those for people addicted to drugs, encourage new members to commit to those 90 meetings in 90 days.
You need that commitment and focus as you fight for sobriety during the most difficult time of your recovery, when you are most vulnerable to relapse. Sometimes people need a break between steps, sometimes they need to spend more time in one step than another, some people never stop working on the 12 steps because they become part of life. You can also read about the Twelve Traditions, which are the spiritual principles behind the 12 steps. Working on Step 12 is one way to safeguard your own sobriety while helping others live better and sober lives day by day.
Overall, the 12 steps offer you some very effective opportunities to analyze the why and how of your addiction, as well as your options before, during, and after that, contribute to compulsive drug and alcohol use. The 12 spiritual principles group these steps into digestible virtues and provide a roadmap to lifelong health and sobriety. Beyond the initial deadline to attend meetings, there's really no set amount of time to go through the 12 steps of AA. As you progress through the 12 steps of AA, your focus should be on making a difference in your life and that of those who have been affected by your addiction.
Today, Alcoholics Anonymous's original 12 steps have helped countless men and women make sobriety sustainable around the world. For those in recovery programs, practicing Step 12 is simply how it works, as the founders of the scholarship discovered for themselves in those early days. Living with the principle of service means that it is your responsibility to help others as they helped you when you started working on the 12 steps. The definition of recovery support varies for each person; it could be someone who helps you continue your 12-step education, teaches you more about each specific step, or even a partner who introduces you to others in recovery.
No, the 12 steps of AA are not a cure for your addiction, they are guiding principles that allow you to restore sobriety, sanity and serenity to your life. Attending meetings can help with that, as can taking your time and focusing on completing each of the 12 steps of AA with intention and sincerity. The main text of Alcoholics Anonymous, or “The Big Book,” as AA members call it, goes step by step through 12 distinct phases, each crucial to achieving a sustainable recovery from addiction. .
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