The 12 Steps of Addiction Recovery

A lot of people have often heard of the 12 step recovery process when it comes to overcoming an addiction; however, not many people may actually know what the 12 steps are or how they help with alcohol addiction and/or drug addiction.

Below you will hopefully find all of the information that you need to let you know what the 12-step model is, what the actual 12 steps of addiction recovery are, and how it helps with addiction recovery as a whole.

For many people struggling with addiction, the 12-step method can not only help them overcome addiction but can also help them to start forging a better quality of life in general.

 

What Is The 12 Step Recovery Process?

The twelve steps was started by AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). The 12 step method is a largely spiritual recovery framework that focuses on providing you with a structure that will see you shake yourself free from addiction.

The 12 steps are not only designed to help the people in recovery, but they are also able to provide support for people who have friends and/or family members who are suffering from an addictive disorder.

 

The 12 Steps

The 12 step programme may have been adapted and altered slightly over the many years that it has been used as a recovery programme, but the general idea which is assigned to each individual step remain largely the same across each programme.

Each step will be designed to help you address specific issues in your own life and the lives of those around you. As you delve deeper into the programme, you will find more and more solace while also gaining strength from others who are in the programme with you.

Hearing stories about how other people have used the programme to their benefit will hopefully also inspire you to commit to the programme and make similarly positive changes to your everyday life.

1. Honesty

A lot of addicts can start their journey in denial about the extent of their addiction. However, a successful recovery should start with a very frank and honest admission to yourself about the control that drugs and/or alcohol have over you.

 

2. Faith

You need to have faith in the fact that a higher power will be able to help you through this process. Accepting that there is a higher power that will guide you through your healing helps many addicts to achieve a more long-lasting recovery.

 

3. Surrender

Positive changes can be made in your life, but you may not be able to make these changes on your own, this is where your faith in a higher power will help you.

 

4. Soul-Searching

Looking inwards to discover your own problems will give you a better understanding of your addiction as a whole. While this can sometimes be a quite painful and difficult experience, it is necessary to get a better understanding of how your addiction has impacted you and those around you.

 

5. Integrity

This is a step that is often associated with accepting the need for personal growth. Often, this step involves admitting the things that they have done wrong to a higher power while in the presence of another individual.

 

6. Acceptance

Accepting who you are and what you have done is a necessary step if you are hoping to let your previous discretions and addictions go.

7. Humility

Asking a higher power to assist you in a way that can not otherwise be done through your own self-will.

 

8. Willingness

At this step you will be required to put together a list of names of individuals who you have harmed before you have arrived in recovery.

 

9. Forgiveness

It can be hard to try and confront those we have wronged and seek forgivingness. However, this difficult step is key to progressing with your life while also healing tarnished relationships.

 

10. Maintenance

Admitting when you have been wrong in certain situations will help you to be able to maintain a long-lasting recovery. This step is important in relation to your self-awareness.

 

11. Making Contact

At this step, you will try to figure out what purpose the higher power has for you in life. Giving yourself a purpose will let you have something to aim for while you move forward in life.

 

12. Service

At this step, you are encouraged to share the teachings and the message associated with the programme with as many other people as you can. You are also encouraged to put the teachings of the programme into place in relation to all areas of your life.

 

How Does it Benefit Addiction Recovery?

There are many ways that the 12 step programme can benefit your life as a whole. However, one of the core messages behind the programme is that you should try to find a meaning to your life, a meaning that is not associated with your drug use and/or alcohol consumption. Over the years since the programme was first put together back in the 1930s, the focus has shifted from being preoccupied with a singular “God” to whatever “higher power” the person in recovery wishes to pray to.

 

Other Forms Of Addiction Treatment Which May Work Alongside

When you are going through addiction recovery, most treatment plans may also implement other forms of addiction treatment alongside the 12-step method. For instance, if you trust your recovery to Step One Recovery, we will find you a place in alcohol rehab, drug rehab, anxiety rehab, or depression rehab that implements a blend of addiction/mental health therapy techniques depending upon what you require.

Other treatments and therapies which can benefit the recovery process include the likes of guided interventions, one-to-one behavioural therapies, dual-diagnosis therapy, detoxification therapies, and even treatments utilising yoga/meditation.

Hopefully, this page has given you a better insight into how the 12-step method works when treating addiction. However, if you have more questions that you would like to ask, then why not reach out to Step One Recovery’s helpline on (0) 800 012 6006 where our staff will be happy to help you with any queries you may have.