A 12-Step Program is a popular approach to addiction recovery that focuses on spiritual and moral development. It’s based on the belief that addiction is a disease that requires a spiritual awakening, rather than just medical treatment.
The program consists of twelve steps that guide individuals through the recovery process. These steps often involve:
- Admitting powerlessness over addiction: Recognizing that the individual cannot control their addiction on their own.
- Seeking help from a higher power: Turning to a spiritual or divine force for guidance and strength.
- Making a decision to turn one’s life over to this higher power: Committing to following the program’s principles.
- Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of oneself: Examining one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions.
- Admitting to God, to oneself, and to another human being the nature of one’s wrongs: Taking responsibility for past mistakes.
- Being entirely ready to have God remove these defects of character: Willingness to change.
- Humbly asking God to remove one’s shortcomings: Seeking spiritual guidance.
- Making a list of people one has harmed and becoming willing to make amends to them all: Taking responsibility for one’s actions.
- Making direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would harm them or others: Taking concrete steps to repair relationships.
- Continuing to work a Twelve-Step program and practicing these principles in all areas of one’s life: Ongoing commitment to recovery.
- Seeking to improve one’s spiritual awareness and growth: Deepening one’s connection to a higher power.
- Carrying this message to others and helping them apply these principles to their own lives: Sharing one’s experience and supporting others in recovery.
The 12-Step program is often facilitated by individuals who have been through the program themselves and have achieved sobriety. They provide support and guidance to newcomers and help them to understand and apply the 12 Steps to their own lives.
