12-Step Programs for Addiction

 Addiction Recovery in Just 12 Steps

12-step programs are a great tool that helps support people in recovery from substance use disorders. The 12-step program has a widespread reach that helps people achieve and maintain abstinence from substances and alcohol. These programs help those suffering and struggling from substance use disorders by learning new coping skills, fostering support and acceptance of a community full of love and understanding, transitioning into sobriety, and helping with a roadmap to achieve long-term sobriety.

Addiction is a neurobiological disease that affects the body, mind, and spirit. Addiction is a progressive disease, and when left untreated, it can be fatal. There is hope, though; recovery is possible through the 12 steps to recovery program. It is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Our addiction specialists are here to help you locate a 12-step program in your area, or we can help you or a loved one get enrolled in the best treatment center anywhere in the USA. Please call us now, and we can answer any questions you may have and get you started on your road to recovery.

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What is a 12-step recovery program?

12-step programs originated and were developed by Alcoholics Anonymous, with the basic teaching and foundations that recovery is possible with support from one another. The first principle lays the foundation that we are powerless over substances or alcohol and that our lives have become unmanageable. The next step is that we need to surrender to a higher power, greater than ourselves to be able to restore us to sanity. The higher power does not need to be the traditional Christian version of GOD. Your higher power can be the group you are attending, the universe, or a different version of a higher power.

12-step recovery meetings are great for family support

With Alanon, open AA meetings, open NA meetings, and other 12-step programs, families have a chance to take part in the recovery process. When the person who is suffering from a substance use disorder gets help, often the family does not know that there is support for them as well. Open meetings are open to non-addicts and offer a glimpse into the recovery process that would not happen without NA or AA. There is also Alanon, which is specifically designed to support families and help them achieve a level of understanding about the addiction process and pitfalls that can give them the tools to support their loved ones through the recovery process.

Twelve-step programs include:

AA (Alcoholics Anonymous)
Al-Anon  (Family support)
Alateen (Teen support)
CA (Cocaine Anonymous)
NA(Narcotics Anonymous)
DRA (Dual Recovery)

The 12 Steps from the Big Book

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

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 Him to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all the people we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing 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 Him, praying only for knowledge of His 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 alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Are 12-step AA programs effective?

AA and other 12-step programs can be very effective forms of rehabilitation. Studies have shown that actively taking responsibility for your addiction by going to meetings like AA, NA, or CA will lead to a greater likelihood of long-term abstinence, improved mental functioning, and increased levels of self-efficacy.

Beginning a 12-step recovery program while enrolled in a treatment program is associated with better outcomes. Being actively engaged in one’s treatment has been associated with higher recovery outcomes. Active engagement in a person’s recovery process, like reading 12-step literature, doing step work, or getting a sponsor, are great indicators that the individual has the support they need to help them achieve lifelong sobriety.

How long does it take to get through the 12 steps to recovery?

The 12-step program has no time limit or expected time to finish all the steps. It is up to the individual working on the program and how thoroughly they work their program. Most 12-step sponsors encourage newcomers and their families to attend 90 meetings in 90 days to ensure a great foundation for recovery. The main goal of a 12-step program is not how fast you work through your steps but how thoroughly you worked your steps and how you are implementing these steps to impact your everyday life positively.

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