The “Twelve-step method” is a tool used during the recovery and rehabilitation process for several dependency or substance abuse problems. The program is commonly used in treatments for numerous fellowships such as Cocaine Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous and more.
However, those that are new to the recovery and rehabilitation process may not be totally familiar with the traditional twelve-step program. For those of you looking to become more familiar with each of the twelve steps, here is a short summation of the “twelve-step method” as defined by Alcoholics Anonymous:
Step 1. Admit to being powerless over alcohol and that life has become unmanageable
Step 2. Believe that a power greater than you can restore you to sanity
Step 3. Make a decision to turn your will and life to the care of “God” (as you understand him/her/it)
Step 4. Make a fearless moral inventory of yourself
Step 5. Admit to God, yourself and others the exact nature of your wrongs
Step 6. Be Entirely ready to have God remove all defects of character
Step 7. Ask God to remove your shortcomings
Step 8. Make a list of all persons you have harmed and be willing to make amends with them
Step 9. Make direct amends to those people whenever possible
Step 10. Continue to take personal inventory and promptly admit when you have wronged
Step 11. Seek to improve your conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation
Step 12. Through spiritual awakening, carry these 12 steps to others
Remember, although the twelve-step method was conceived to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of alcoholics, several fellowships (including those listed above) have adopted the method in order to help those with other substance abuse or behavioral problems.
