The 12 step process has helped millions of people around the world recover from addiction. Often used as part of the addiction treatment process, the well-known 12 step program initially created in 1939 is today an essential part of the treatment and ongoing recovery process. Originally started in Ohio to help struggling alcoholics overcome their dependence on alcohol, the support, and guidance of the 12 step process have been modified and incorporated to help people overcome many addictions and behavioral struggles. At Robert Alexander Center we incorporate the 12 step addiction treatment into our programs to help addicts, their loved ones, family, and friends successfully and safely negotiate the challenges of getting and staying sober.
What is the 12 Step Addiction Treatment Process?
The 12 steps were first put on paper in 1939. The original 12 steps have remained the same for more than 80 years. Today, versions of the 12 steps can be found as part of addiction treatment and recovery programs for a range of addictions and compulsive behaviors. The original 12 steps are designed to help addicts seeking sobriety progress one step at a time towards lasting sobriety. The 12 steps taken from the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) manual are:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — 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.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We’re entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. 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.
How Robert Alexander Center Incorporates a 12 Step Process into Addiction Treatment
Many addiction programs, including Robert Alexander Center in Kentucky incorporate the 12 step process into their treatment and recovery plans. As part of an individually designed therapy and comprehensive aftercare plan, the 12 steps form a foundation of support and guidance addicts in recovery can lean on throughout the treatment process. In the aftercare environment, 12 step programs are often a vital component of ongoing sobriety, relapse prevention, and recovery. Maintaining your connection with 12 step support groups throughout aftercare and as part of an aftercare program ensures you have continuing access to community support.
The early days of recovery are often the most challenging. As you transition from the treatment environment back to your day-to-day activities, triggers, and opportunities for relapse present challenges to your sobriety. The support and companionship of peers from the 12-step support groups provide help and someone to talk to when you need it most.
Reach Out to Use Today to Get Help With Your Addiction
Here at Robert Alexander Center, our treatment program gives our clients the option to get involved with the 12 steps. Our treatment philosophy is based on helping you understand and heal the underlying conditions that frequently lead to addiction. Once you understand the struggles that have led you down the path of addiction, it is possible to heal and get sober.
If you or a loved one are ready to overcome addiction, reach out to the admissions team at Robert Alexander Center to learn more about how the 12 step process can help you achieve and maintain lasting freedom from drugs and alcohol.