12 Step Recovery for Substance Abuse

Common questions about 12 step programs

Am I Fully Recovered after Treatment? After you finish treatment, it is now time to begin your new life as a sober person in recovery. You may have returned to your home, moved in with a family member or maybe were admitted to a sober living facility. The question you might ask yourself is: ‘Am I recovered?’ Well, according to the medical model of addiction, addicts and alcoholics are never fully recovered from our disease. We are recovering. What does this mean? Simply put, it means that we must continue to work on our recovery every day to ensure that we do not regress into old patterns of behavior that are almost guaranteed to lead us back to using and drinking.

Does this mean I need to be in therapy for the rest of my life? It does not. After completing inpatient treatment, it may be recommended to step down into an outpatient group therapy program for several months and/or to receive individual therapy services. However, these programs are intended to be short term. It is recommended that rather than indefinitely paying for professional help, you join a recovery fellowship group. The most popular and easiest to access are 12 step-based recovery groups.

What is a 12-step recovery group? Even before we sought help for substance use, most of us had probably interacted with members of groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Al-anon, Gambling Anonymous, etc. These are all examples of 12 step recovery groups. 12 step groups are fellowships organized for the purpose of helping those suffering from addiction. They hold ‘meetings’ regularly that are typically 1 hour long and follow a similar structure as is outlined in the program’s literature. These meetings are exclusively run and facilitated by their members. This means that there are no professionals; every person in the meeting is part of the group and are there for their own recovery. 12 step groups are not hierarchical. Members of the group will take turns facilitating the meetings and carrying out other service positions on a rotating basis. Every member of a 12-step group is encouraged to find a person in the group with more experience in the program that can guide them through the steps. This person is known as a ‘sponsor.’ Helping others stay sober is a key component of the program and many people in the group are eager to become sponsors.

Does it cost anything? 12 step groups do not have any dues or fees. They are, however, fully self-supporting and request that each member contribute a dollar or two each meeting to pay for associated costs such as renting meeting space, coffee, and literature. However, if you are still trying to get back on your feet financially, as is the case for many of us in early recovery, it is not required that you contribute anything, and nobody will question or judge you for abstaining.

What are the 12 steps? The 12 steps are a spiritual program designed to address the issues that underlie our addiction. According to this model, those of us who suffer from addiction use substances to fill a spiritual void. We simply do not feel right about ourselves in relation to society. We begin taking the substances as a solution to this problem, and, in the beginning, it works! But eventually the adverse effects of our habit outweigh the relief we get from them. If worked thoroughly, the steps will provide that relief therefore eliminating the need for the substances. The first steps require that we admit our powerlessness to the substance and accept that we will need to treat our addictions for the rest of our lives. That is why we continue to identify as addicts and alcoholics regardless of how many years we have sober; to forget this fact could lead us to believe we can successfully use or drink again. According to the medical model of addiction, we cannot. Our disease will quickly progress if we return to substances.

Are 12 Step Programs Religious? 12 step programs distinguish between religion and spirituality. The program advises us to connect to a higher power of our understanding, but it is not associated with any religion and does not prescribe any religious dogmas. Our higher power can take the form of anything that fits our own spiritual conception of the universe. Many people even use the 12-step group as their higher power. It is simply any entity that is greater than ourselves. Therefore 12 steps are compatible with those who are religious those who are agnostic, and everyone in between.

Is it Effective? 12 steps are proven to work and have helped millions of people. According to a study conducted by Stanford School of Medicine in 2020, it is “the most effective path to abstinence.” AA is compatible with traditional psychotherapy and is inclusive of anybody who identifies as an addict or alcoholic.

How do I find a Meeting? There are dozens of meetings in nearly every city in the United States. Simply google meetings near me for whichever fellowship you choose, and you will be directed to an online list of meetings.

We are not affiliated with AA but highly recommend this life saving program.