There are a variety of ways to go about recovering from addiction. It is essential to understand that what may work for someone else may not be the best path for you. What is important is finding a treatment path that addresses your needs and concerns in recovery. One such path to consider is the 12-Steps. 12-Step programs can help you take treatment literally one step at a time and introduce you to an entire community of sober members. The 12-Steps are not for everyone, but they do have importance in addiction recovery.
What Are the 12-Steps?
The program was founded in the early 1930s by a group of men that wanted to stop drinking. The steps were created upon the belief that alcoholism is a disease and only God can cure it. While today the religious part isn’t necessary, members are still encouraged to find their own higher power to help them with their sobriety.
The 12-Steps are as follows:
- We admitted we were powerless over addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
- 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.
- 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.
12-Steps Benefits for Addiction
12-Step programs have numerous benefits for their members, both new and old. The programs provide a sense of community and belonging, giving you people to turn to when you want to celebrate your triumphs or need some extra support in recovery. The meetings are also available almost everywhere, with many being online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can simply search for meetings and find some to join!
The last thing to consider when it comes to 12-Step programs is that they push you to be honest and grow in your recovery. Fellow members can notice if you are going off track and help you reflect when you need to do some soul-searching. This way, you can be set up for success and stay sober for the long term.
12-Step programs are a popular treatment space that many individuals recovering from addiction join. This is because many people enjoy the step-by-step format when it comes to recovery, as it helps give them a template for what their journey will look like. The sense of community and overarching values of the program also helps individuals stay committed to their recovery over time. Alta Loma Transformational Services believes in the 12-Steps as a means of healing. To learn more, call us today at (866) 457-3843 and find your place in the recovery community.
