In the previous article, I wrote about the 6 Stages of Recovery. Stages 3, 4 and 5 are about abstinence, sobriety and early recovery, respectively, and no program of starting and maintaining recovery is better known or probably more successful than the 12 Steps.
Originally published in 1939 in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, these steps have been adapted for recovery from almost every addiction, and are often adapted even further as a model for cognitive and behavioral modification therapies. While scientific evidence of their effectiveness is lacking, anecdotal evidence is overwhelming that these steps have a profound impact on changing people’s lives.
While there are many recovery models I respect and share with clients in my practice as Recovery Coach, I admit I have a profound prejudice in favor of the Steps. I, like millions of others, feel I owe my life to the practice of this inspired wisdom. Following their guidance brought me from the despair of a lonely, unemployed, homeless alcoholic and drug addict to a life of vibrancy, success and great joy. Further, they have helped me recover from codependency and financial dysfunction. So it is with extreme gratitude that I share them here.
Step One
“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.”
Step Two
“Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.”
Step Three
“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”
Step Four
“Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”
Step Five
“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
Step Six
“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.”
Step Seven
“Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”
Step Eight
“Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.”
Step Nine
“Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.”
Step Ten
“Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.”
Step Eleven
“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.”
Step Twelve
“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.”
In two of the upcoming articles in this month-long series, I will discuss the principles of the steps, and re-present the steps in generic, inclusive language (not gender-specific, non-religious, and viable for anyone with addictive patterns).