You’ll have the opportunity to share your story if you feel comfortable, but there’s no pressure – just being there and listening proves incredibly powerful. Meetings are open to anyone who wants to get sober from addiction and usually occur in community centers, churches, or other public spaces. Visit the official AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) or NA (Narcotics Anonymous) websites and use their meeting finder tools, which have listings for meetings worldwide to help you locate one in your area. Beginning the 12 Steps through AA and NA meetings in your local area starts with locating a nearby meeting. It’s about deepening your spiritual connection and finding guidance and peace through quiet reflection and spiritual practices.
With over 30 million copies sold, this book serves as the guiding framework for the 12-step method of recovering from addiction. Some people will adjust their lives to the point where they no longer need the steps, whereas others adopt them as a way of life that they constantly work on. While the 12-steps of AA were founded and based on a spiritual principle of religious organizations, The world and AA have come a long way since and The Steps have moved in accordance to be applicable to everyone. However, the 12-step model may not be appropriate for everyone, as people may not respond to the teachings of the 12 steps on a physical level. It also works by helping people have guiding principles to rely on during times when they are tempted to return to the addiction.
Online Meetings
- Access State-Specific Provider Directories for detailed information on locating licensed service providers and recovery residences in your area.
- This keeps your personal progress going.
- Below we explore the 12-step AA program, how they work, why they are so successful in helping recovering addicts maintain sobriety, and why they haven’t changed in over 80 years.
- Neither this site nor anyone who answers the call receives a commission or fee dependent upon which treatment provider a visitor may ultimately choose.
Most people work the steps with the help of a sponsor, a step group, or through service centers and meetings. Inspired by their personal experiences and belief in a greater power, they crafted a step-by-step guide rooted in humility, action, and transformation. Many people now attend a combination of virtual and in-person meetings, choosing what works best for their recovery needs and circumstances. In step 12, you can revisit each of these learned lessons and bring those principles to other people, leaning on one another in recovery. After a person has worked through each of the 12 steps, they can bring their wisdom, knowledge, and recovery experience to others who need guidance.
→ You don’t need to define that power yet. Maybe you searched for a printable AA step guide (grab ours at the bottom!). To explore additional treatment options, you can view editorially selected providers on our site or visit the SAMHSA Treatment Locator. All information is provided for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Step Five: Admitting Your Wrongs
Stay in touch with your sponsor and other group members even outside of meetings – many people find it helpful to exchange phone numbers and check in with each other for support and encouragement. With your sponsor’s help, you’ll start working through the steps individually, with each step building on the last to guide you through the recovery process. You’ll usually find potential sponsors in the meetings, as a sponsor is someone who has been through the 12 steps and will guide you through the process. The structure of the 12 Steps guides personal growth and long-term sobriety.
This step emphasizes ongoing self-reflection and accountability in your behaviors and relationships, helping you stay on track in recovery. You continue to take personal inventory, and when you are wrong, promptly admit it. Preparing for personal growth requires you to become entirely ready to let go of character defects and embrace positive change. This step is about openly acknowledging and taking responsibility for your mistakes and the harm caused by your addiction. Confessing wrongs means admitting the exact nature of your mistakes to yourself, a higher power, and another person.
Despite its worldwide recognition, the twelve-step program remains somewhat of a mystery to those outside of the world of addiction recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has been going for over 80 years and their 12-step program has become synonymous with addiction recovery the world over. Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery…
Program of personal recovery from alcoholism. Make meetings part of your weekly routine, as the more you immerse yourself in the community and the steps, the more support you’ll have. For recovery, AA and NA provide a supportive fellowship of people who understand addiction and recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) offer peer-led support, structured 12-step programs, and a judgment-free community to help individuals achieve and maintain sobriety.
You deserve high-quality treatment and a fulfilling life in recovery.
Others will want alternatives to 12 steps and may benefit from seeking out other support groups for people in recovery. 12 step meetings like AA and NA can be great options for people in recovery from an addiction, and new groups are created all the time to focus on specific types of problems and addictions. Each of the steps reinforces the idea that addiction has extremely damaging effects on a person, and provides them with the beliefs, skills, and supports to overcome this issue and get their lives back.
The 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous
Additionally, they encourage personal accountability and spiritual growth, which are vital for sustained recovery. These steps also promote holistic healing by focusing on physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and foster a sense of community through peer support. After undergoing these steps, you experience a spiritual awakening and strive to pass on this message to others, practicing these principles in all your affairs. Seeking help from a higher power means accepting that personal strength alone is not enough for recovery. AA and NA provide a roadmap for recovery, offering local meetings and resources to support individuals on their journey to sobriety.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
Virtual AA how many steps are in aa meetings became widely available during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained a permanent part of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Big Book began as a tool for those addicted to alcohol but has since expanded its reach to include those abusing other substances. You can do this by being an active participant in your AA group, reaching out to friends overcoming addiction, volunteering with local organizations, or becoming a sponsor.
Your Addiction Doesn’t Have To Define Who You Are.
- If you don’t believe in a higher power, do not skip the second step.
- This is a stage of release when a person readies themselves to be rid of all “defects of character.”
- Though painful, this step is intended to relieve them of guilt and burdens weighing them down.
- Program of personal recovery from alcoholism.
- Your openness to seeking assistance from higher powers, support groups, or trusted friends and family makes you feel hopeful that you will win this battle when you’re not just relying on yourself.
- Step seven furthers this theme of humility by asking participants to commit to honesty and humility throughout their recovery.
AA supports individual understanding, encouraging people to adopt the Steps in a way that aligns with their own beliefs and experiences. Members feel that the Steps are a practical necessity if they are to maintain their sobriety. While this may be true, in the sense that the Twelve Steps represent an approach to living that is totally new for most alcoholics, many A.A. They describe the attitudes and activities that these early members believe were important in helping them to achieve sobriety. We cannot guarantee payment or verification eligibility as conveyed by your health insurance provider will be accurate and complete. Neither this site nor anyone who answers the call receives a commission or fee dependent upon which treatment provider a visitor may ultimately choose.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please contact at We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. All Addiction Resource content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible. If you believe you have a medical emergency, you should immediately call 911.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends
If there are any discrepancies of times, dates, or locations of meetings, please contact us so we can update the information as we strive to keep the information as current as possible. BAC does not provide referrals nor receive any commission or other fee that is dependent upon which treatment a visitor may ultimately choose. Our helpline is offered at no cost to you and with no obligation to enter into treatment. Incorporate daily practices like prayer, meditation, and self-reflection to stay connected to your recovery journey.
the power to carry that out.
They can be found at the beginning of the chapter “How It Works.” Essays on the Steps can be read in the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. The Twelve Steps are outlined in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Supported by the Twelve Traditions and the Twelve Concepts, AA continues to provide a path for individuals seeking freedom from alcoholism. First introduced in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12 Steps have remained unchanged. Medical evidence suggests that alcoholism is a progressive condition, and while it may not be cured in the traditional sense, it can be managed by maintaining complete abstinence from alcohol. AA understands that the most reliable way to recover from alcoholism is through total abstinence — avoiding that first drink.
If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your health care provider. The information provided through Addictionresource.net should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Some may be tempted to address each step quickly so they can be over and done with it.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
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✓ Clinically reviewed by addiction medicine specialists Board-certified doctors validate every rating and recommendation. Our board-certified addiction specialists evaluate every center using 5 clinical criteria most sites ignore. Button to see videos about the given step. You define your own higher power—whether that’s God, nature, or the strength of the group. It’s a refuge for people who’ve hit a wall, discovered a common welfare, and decided to walk a better life, one day at a time.