While there are many options for an addiction recovery process, including the 12-step framework - which provides a strong set of guidelines for recovery.
The 12-step program's principles were originally developed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to aid individuals recovering from addiction. While the principles can vary slightly depending on the specific fellowship or group, here are the fundamental principles that typically underpin the 12-step program:
Acknowledgment of Powerlessness: Admitting that one is powerless over their addiction and that their life has become unmanageable.
Belief in a Higher Power: Recognizing that there is a higher power greater than oneself that can restore sanity.
Surrendering to the Higher Power: Willingness to turn one's will and life over to the care of a higher power.
Self-Inventory and Reflection: Taking a moral inventory of oneself, acknowledging faults, and being willing to address them.
Admission of Wrongs: Admitting to oneself, to a higher power, and to another human being the exact nature of one's wrongs.
Readiness for Change: Being entirely ready to have the higher power removes all these defects of character.
Humbling Oneself Before a Higher Power: Humbly asking the higher power to remove shortcomings.
Making Amends: Making a list of all persons harmed and being willing to make amends to them all.
Directly Making Amends: Making direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others.
Continued Self-Reflection and Correction: Continuing to take personal inventory and promptly admitting when one is wrong.
Prayer and Meditation: Seeking through prayer and meditation to improve one's conscious contact with the higher power, praying only for knowledge of the higher power's will for oneself and the power to carry that out.
Service to Others: Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these steps, carrying this message to others and practicing these principles in all areas of one's life.
These principles are designed to promote spiritual growth, personal accountability, and a supportive community environment for individuals striving to overcome addiction. They emphasize humility, self-reflection, and a willingness to seek help from a higher power and others who have gone through similar experiences.
Tara Treatment Center provides 12-step meetings throughout the treatment process so clients can become familiar with the structure. Many of our staff members who are in recovery also continue to participate in community 12-step meetings.
If you want to get help using the 12-step process or other proven treatment programs, Get Help Now.