The 12 Step Program Used in Alcohol Treatment

The Alcoholics Anonymous devised their 12 Step Program for the first time in their book of the same name in 1939. The basic intention of this program was to get people out of their addictions and look at leading a healthier life. The program was intended mainly for bringing people out of their alcohol dependencies, because after all it was a program made by the Alcoholics Anonymous.

But within a short while, the program reached dizzying heights of popularity. Many people used the program, mostly within the environs of the Alcoholics Anonymous itself, and found that they benefited hugely from it. The program was very soon adapted by other addiction treatment modes, the most notable of them being the Cocaine Anonymous and the Narcotics Anonymous. There are also versions of the 12 Step Program for treatments that have nothing to do with chemical dependency too, such as for people with an eating disorder or even for people who find acne to be a serious problem!

It is quite clear that the 12 Step Program is a very popular program; in fact, it is a program nonpareil, but it is also very important to see why the program is popular. For that, you must know the 12 steps of the program first. Here they are, in a simplified format:-

1. Admit the lack of power over alcohol and admit that the life has become difficult to manage because of the addiction.

2. Believe that there is some Higher Power that can help remove this condition and bring meaning back to life.

3. Decide to accept the superiority of this Higher Power and decide to follow in the guidance that is provided by Them with complete understanding and conviction.

4. Probe into the true essence of self.

5. Confess to the Higher Power and to another person that the addiction has been wrong and that there has been a lot of wrong committed under its influence.

6. Trust in the Higher Power to right those wrongs.

7. Request the Higher Power to right the wrongs.

8. Become aware of all the people hurt due to the condition and then get prepared to set on a journey of implementing corrective measures.

9. Start on the journey. Make corrections wherever possible, but where correcting the wrongs will lead to distress to the person, let it be.

10. Do not stop the process of realizing where the wrongs have been done and making amends.

11. Continue in prayer and meditation to come closer to the Higher Power, asking Them specially to bring in the power that can help come out of the dependency.

12. Try to reach out to as many alcoholic persons as possible and remove their conditions.

Upon reading these points, you can very well understand that the 12 Step Program of the Alcoholics Anonymous is deeply spiritual in nature. This is one program where the patient overtly relies on the Higher Power to bring in the recovery within themselves. This Higher Power could be the God the person believes in. But here, it must be noted that though the 12 Step Program of the Alcoholics Anonymous is a spiritual program, it is definitely not a religious program. It is not affiliated to any religion. Also, it is not affiliated to any political belief. Perhaps it is the aloofness of the program from religion and politics that has made it so popular.

The 12 Step Program begins with what we know as intervention. Here the patient is made aware of the problem within self and made aware that they need to take some corrective measures. The 12 Step Program for alcohol treatment is also quite commended for the way in which it makes the patients correct the wrongs that they have committed. Even the sense that they have done something to hurt others is sufficient to bring them closer to recovery. Confession is a proven method of self-correction, and this is what the 12 Step Program entails.

A human person is needed for the success of the 12 Step Program. This person could be someone that the person trusts and believes in, such as a member of the family. In fact, some treatment centers that use this program urge their patients to attend the sessions with a family member in tow so that that person could act as the representative that the patient has to confess to. This also helps to add more meaning to the treatment program. It is no wonder that other forms of addiction also use this program that was initially devised for alcohol treatment all over the world.