The well-established 12 step programs are a popular way to help with addiction recovery. The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous created the 12 step program more than 80 years ago, and it has worked for millions of people healing from alcoholism and substance abuse since then.

The 12 steps might seem like a lot to take in, but looking at them step-by-step can make understanding the process a bit simpler and less overwhelming. The first three steps of AA can sometimes be intimidating. But they’re designed to help those suffering from substance abuse begin their journey to healing. They can complement a larger program of treatment and can be continued by attending AA meetings (or any 12 step program meeting relevant to the individual’s addiction) held outside of treatment.

What are the 12 Steps?

The 12 steps are a spiritual program designed to help people work through addiction within the support of a community. People can choose any kind of higher power greater than themselves to look to during the process. The word “god” was part of the original documents of Alcoholics Anonymous, but the overall idea is to undergo spiritual growth while learning the twelve steps and twelve traditions. The idea of working with a higher power is part of each of the twelve steps, so it’s important to establish it early on.

The 12 steps are designed to help work to expel the obsession to drink or use drugs. The goal here is to enable the addicted person to live a happy, healthy, and manageable life.

According to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 steps are:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol — that “our lives had become unmanageable.”
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. We 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. We had 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.

All 12 step programs are a journey of recovery and fellowship. But to be successful, the program requires proactive and deliberate action. Most people take time to work the program, and many attend their first twelve step meeting while in or upon leaving addiction treatment.

The first three steps are all about admitting that the person has an addiction and surrendering to a higher power and the reality of that addiction. To stop drinking alcohol and/or overcome a drug addiction, it’s important to start with taking that honest look.

Step One: Explained

In many ways, the first step is the most important of the 12 steps. It requires individuals to acknowledge they need help to change course. At the same time, many may find this step to be difficult since it requires individuals to admit they have allowed their lives to reach a level that is now “unmanageable.”

Anyone working on step one is likely to be experiencing an entire range of emotions. These emotions may include sadness, shame, regret, and confusion. These emotions are all perfectly understandable, and there is no right or wrong feeling to have at this junction. Starting a twelve step program is all about contending with emotions in a structured and supported way.

If life seems to be spiraling out of control and drinking or using drugs seems to be the answer every time an issue arises (or every time they feel the need to self-medicate a mental illness to carry on), a person may start feeling powerless to change direction. Acknowledging they have a problem is a powerful admission, and a foundation from which they can build. It’s been said many times that the only step that needs to be completed perfectly is Step One.

Step Two: Learning How to Be Sane

The second step of the AA process is one filled with hope, as it requires individuals to recognize a greater power is at work.

While some participants might be tempted to focus on who or what the power may be, it is not important to do so. It’s most important to believe that a power greater than ourselves — be it God, love, nature, humanity, or some other power — can help restore an individual to sanity. It’s acknowledging that the individual doesn’t have all the power in their life to help themselves.

Step two is not one to take lightly, and it is imperative that individuals looking to work the program recognize there is a greater force at play that can help them. This can help them begin the process of accepting the help necessary to kick their addictions. Different definitions do not make having a Higher Power any less critical to the process.

When individuals feel they are deeply in trouble with alcohol or other drugs, they may not want to admit to shortcomings or accept help. By coming to a 12 step meeting, individuals can tap into a recovery support group and receive the fellowship they need to make a positive and powerful change. Accepting that one needs help from other people (and greater powers at work) to achieve sanity is a key aspect of healing from addiction.

Step Three: Acceptance

In the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous, once individuals recognize and accept their greater force and commit to turning over their will and lives, they can begin the process of turning things around. To many, this is hard. It can feel like they’re giving up control, when they’re actually learning to regain control and manageability of their life. Much like the first step, it is this act of surrender and admitting their place in the universe that allows for further healing to take place.

Recovery support groups like AA and SMART Recovery can be an important part of this step. They offer fellowship and an opportunity to spend time with a group of individuals with a shared experience from the very first meeting. Building a support system consisting of healthy, recovering friends can be the lifeline that actually saves a life. They may provide insight into how they work with a higher power or share their experience with healing from addiction while having a mental illness.

Find Recovery at Principles Recovery Center

Working the first few steps of a twelve steps program can be intimidating. Admitting helplessness to an addiction or a higher power (even if it’s not a named god) can be daunting, let alone talking about one’s addiction in front of a group. But group therapy, whether as part of a twelve step program or not, is a helpful and valuable part of recovery. The healthy relationships that can develop in that atmosphere of sharing can lend support throughout the rest of treatment and recovery.

Principles Recovery Center is a drug rehab facility located in Davie, Florida, off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale. We offer family-focused treatment and drug rehab programs geared toward both the English and Spanish speaking communities. For more information, call us now.