12 Step Programmes

                       12 Step Programmes

                                 Their role in recovery

Hi I'm Joe and I 'm an alcoholic. That's about as much as most people know about 12 step programmes and yet I feel they are a much under utilised resource in the both the criminal and family court .

In 2012 research from the Children's Commisioner indicated that over 62% of care proceedings involved alchohol misuse http://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/content/publications/content_619. That's without taking drugs into account.

It is said for every alcoholic six other people contacted with them are affected, I would suggest that is a conservative estimate.

What actually are the  twelve steps?

Here are the twelve steps of AA but all other 12 step programmes are based upon these.

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
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.
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.

Why it works

It is said only an alcoholic can understand an alcoholic likewise only someone affected by a family member's alcoholism can understand how their personality has adapted to deal with the circumstances. These family members can seek help through the Al Anon family groups and younger family members through Alateen.

The same goes for NA. There is tremendous support to realise you are not the only one in such a situation.

The steps deal with control issues especially the first three, a good place to start is to admit that you yourself are not God! 

A person does not take the steps until they are ready. Everyone is welcome the only requirement for membership is that a person is affected by what addiction the particular group deals with.

The God issue

"I don't believe in God" that's fine it a spiritual not religious programme your god can be anything you imagine he/she or it to be. For lots of members at first it is the hope,friendship and unconditional acceptance given to them by the existing members of the group. What is important is that you hand over what you cannot deal with to something else commonly known as a Higher Power.