The 12 Steps – why do they hold such recognition?
Everyone, at least once in their life, has heard about the 12 steps. But why are they so widely recognized and valued?
It’s because they not only aid in overcoming addiction but also contribute to improving all aspects of one’s being: familial, occupational, emotional, personal, and spiritual.
Within the 12 steps, values are reaffirmed, and new ones are acquired. It serves as an awakening of consciousness, where self-recognition is the key to embarking on a new path.
A blend of medicine, philosophy, and spirituality makes this recovery model a successful plan for addiction treatment.
The 12 steps are:
- “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol (or any other addictive behavior) – 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 alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.”
At Equilibrium, the work of the 12 steps is conducted upon completion of treatment with us. Upon arrival, we request a 90-90 commitment – attending 90 meetings in 90 days. These initial three months of treatment are crucial, as there is often resistance to support groups initially. However, by participating in them, character defects such as pride, lust, anger, envy, etc.
After those three months, many patients decide they can sustain 3 or 4 groups per week. After a while, we recommend finding a Sponsor (someone further along in the recovery process) who will decide if the patient is ready to start the 12 steps.
We also have guests who come to share their testimonies, or workshop leaders who talk to us about how they worked the 12 steps and how it has helped them in their recovery.
And the family, what role do they play in the 12 steps?
The role of the family in the entire process is crucial; therefore, we recommend they do the same 90-90 work. If they do not consume alcohol, they would be in the CoDA group (Codependents Anonymous). For the relatives of alcoholics and addicts, it would be AL-Anon. For Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families or Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, it would be ACA.
In conclusion, the 12-step program is a life project in which mutual support and self-help make a difference.
At Equilibrium, we offer a comprehensive admission process that includes an initial assessment of the patient’s condition and needs. We ensure throughout the process that all measures are considered to provide the highest level of service, as well as the greatest degree of kindness and understanding for each patient and family member.
