12 Step Program

Benefits of 12-Step Programs

Starting a recovery journey from addiction can be extremely difficult, but 12-step Programs are a reliable and lasting resource for people who are looking for help and sobriety. These groups offer a structured framework that enables people in recovery to meet people going through comparable experiences, exchange stories, and work toward long-lasting, constructive change. Although there have been many advancements in addiction treatment since the introduction of the 12-step program, these additions do not negate the value of the twelve steps in recovery.

Benefits of the 12-Step Program include:

• Access to meetings offered in multiple locations nationwide
• Access to peer support and a sober community
• Deconstruction of denial and improved ability to recognize and admit substance abuse problems
• Development of compassion for those who have been affected by and are struggling with addiction
• Development of relapse prevention skills and skills that promote self-restraint in recovery
• Education on how addiction happens and how treatment like this can help
• Gained tools that can be applied for the rest of their lives
• Increased self-observation and self-awareness regarding behaviors that contributed to addiction
• Increased sense of commitment and accountability in recovery
• Opportunity to help others and possibly become a recovery advocate
• Opportunity to practice restraint and build self-esteem with the help of other sponsors and other members
• Self-acceptance and ability to change harmful or self-destructive behaviors
• Structure in early recovery, encouraging the individual to avoid too much free time, which provides opportunities for boredom

The 12-step model provides support, encouragement, and accountability for individuals who genuinely want to recover from substance use disorders and live sober lives. The guidance of an AA sponsor, as well as regular meetings held in various locations, encourage the kind of social support that has helped thousands of people stay clean.

12 Steps Program Definition

At our addiction treatment center, we utilize our own modified version of the 12-Step AA and NA program during treatment to help our patients progress through recovery. Especially for those people looking for a spiritual component of addiction recovery, our NA and al-anon 12 steps can be powerful and life-changing.

Here are the 12 steps explained:

1. I admitted I was powerless over alcohol [or drugs] and that my life had become unmanageable.
2. I came to believe that a Power greater than myself could restore me to sanity.
3. I decided to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understood Him.
4. I made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself.
5. I admitted to God, myself, and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs.
6. I was entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. I humbly asked Him to remove my shortcomings.
8. I made a list of all persons I had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. I made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. I continued to take personal inventory and, when I was wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. I sought through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out.
12. I had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps. I tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Because not everyone may be comfortable with the spiritual component of our 12-step principles, clients are encouraged to attend meetings but are not required.

AA Prayers and Their Relation to Christianity

The connections between AA and religion are quite clear. Both utilize concepts of spirituality and surrendering to a higher power to aid participants in their endeavors. Whether it is to maintain sobriety, maintain peace, or connect with those closest to them. Alcoholics Anonymous famously uses the serenity prayer, which goes as follows: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference.”

Some people assume they can find the Serenity prayer in the Bible. They do not realize that it does not originate from the scripture. It was penned by Reinhold Niebuhr in the 1930s. It grew in popularity after being adopted by AA in 1951. Despite its separate origin, the saying still possesses similar themes and ideals as many scriptures. They release the power to God, focus on acceptance of things that cannot be changed, and promote inner peace and positivity. These are all things that our 12-step Christian programs seek to promote.