The first step of the twelve steps to recovery is one of the most important steps. This is the step where you admit that you've been wrong and that you can't overcome your addiction on your own. It prepares you for the second step where you will find your higher power that you will rely on throughout your recovery process. At Recreate Life Counseling, we place great emphasis on 12-step immersion.
Our addiction recovery program focuses on each of the 12 principles of AA, and we require that each of our clients participate in daily 12-step meetings. We encourage our clients to find a sponsor while they are undergoing treatment and start working on the 12 steps. We teach our clients about the importance of each step and how the principle behind each step will end up playing a vital role in their lives. The 12 Steps describe a path to spiritual progress through a series of actions designed to bring about what The Great Book of Alcoholics Anonymous refers to as a “psychic change”: a complete mental, emotional and spiritual change in perception.
Although the 12 steps are based on spiritual principles, many non-religious people have found the program to be of great help. To take full advantage of 12-step programs, it is necessary to attend meetings and participate in recovery activities; however, as noted, attendance and participation in meetings can be limited, inconsistent, and sporadic. Bob, as a community of alcoholics working together to overcome their drinking problems, the 12 steps acted as a set of guidelines for spiritual and character development, a recovery plan. In their original form, the 12 steps came from a spiritual and Christian inspiration seeking the help of a greater power, as well as from peers suffering from the same struggles of addiction.
As explained in the historical information from the AA site itself, the steps developed through the synthesis of concepts from some other teachings I had encountered, including a six-step program adopted by an organization called the Oxford Group. Although the original Twelve Steps of AA have been adapted over time, the premise of each step remains the same for all recovery programs that use a 12-step model. The program was successful enough in its early years for other addiction support groups to adapt the steps to their specific substance or addictive behavior. In fact, most participants find that as they grow in their recovery, they will need to review some steps or even tackle more than one step at a time.
As explained in Chapter 5, How It Works, in the book Alcoholics Anonymous, the Twelve Steps provide a suggested recovery program that worked for early AA members and continued to work through the years for many others, regardless of the type of substance they used. In addition, Women for Sobriety provides another mutually supportive recovery resource that differs from 12-step approaches in program structure, format, and philosophy (Kaskutas, 199. Recovery Centers of America fully embraces the 12 steps as an effective approach to ongoing recovery, particularly when combined with other addiction treatment methodologies, such as behavioral therapies, psychiatric care, and drug-assisted treatment (MAT) (where clinically appropriate). Others have put forward similar ideas to integrate the basic ideas of the 12 steps into a cultural framework that makes sense to members of that culture. Steps 1, 2, and 3 are considered the basis of a 12-step program and it is recommended to practice every day.