Twelve Step Program—Alcoholics Anonymous

A twelve step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action to aid in the recovery from addiction. While twelve step programs have been adapted for use with a variety of compulsion and behavioral problems, this article will outline its use for Alcoholics Anonymous.

The first twelve step program was devised by Alcoholics Anonymous AA as a recovery tool from alcoholism. The first publication of the Twelve Steps was in 1939 in the book, Alcoholics Anonymous: the Story of How More than One Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism. The original Twelve Steps published by AA are:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. 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. Were 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.” http://www.aa.org/en_pdfs/smf-121_en.pdf

We all, at one time or another, seen AA meetings enacted on television. This method of staying dry has worked for countless individuals. Don’t be too quick to discount its power. If you, or someone you love, have a problem with alcohol dependence, contact A Better Tomorrow, today. Give them a call and let them help you to the road of recovery. You can do it!


If you need help, are struggling with an addiction, or know of someone who is, please contact A Better Tomorrow Treatment Center today. We are here to help.
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