12 Steps of Recovery Program

Most people have heard of the 12 Steps of Recovery that began with Alcoholics Anonymous and its founder Bill Wilson with his physician Dr. Bob Smith. The 12 Steps have been adapted by many other self-help and addiction recovery groups since it began in 1939, from Narcotics Anonymous to Gamblers Anonymous. While there were explicitly Christian overtones to the original 12 Steps of Recovery, most groups have changed them to more secular or agnostic philosophies. Since its inception, the 12 Steps of Recovery have been evaluated, researched, and studied numerous times to determine its level of success, and has held up in most every study, showing amazing results for those who follow the program.

Studies show that people who work the 12 Step program fully, meaning they get involved, find a sponsor, work the steps, share their experiences, and sponsor others, have better long-term results. For many, this 12 Step program is enough, but most need additional support and treatment, such as that provided at Aspire Counseling Services. Reaching out to addiction experts such as those at Aspire allows you to work with them to develop a personalized recovery program to meet your specific needs and increase your chances of success in recovery. The personalized recovery program designed by Aspire Counseling Services includes the group meetings they offer where the 12 Step program is utilized, which combined offers you the best chance of a successful recovery.

12 Steps of Recovery (agnostic version listed for each step where applicable)

1. We admitted that we were powerless over alcohol (drugs, gambling, etc) – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
   1. Came to accept and to understand that we needed strengths beyond our awareness and resources to restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
   1. Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of the AA program.
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.
   1. Admitted to ourselves without reservation, and to another human being, the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects.
   1. Were ready to accept help in letting go of all our defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
   1. Humbly sought to have our shortcomings removed.
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.
    1. Sought through mindful inquiry and meditation to improve our spiritual awareness, seeking only for knowledge of our rightful path in life 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 (drug addicts, gamblers, etc.), and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

 

These 12 Steps of Recovery will guide and support you in your recovery process. Combine them with the addiction counseling and personalized recovery program designed by Aspire Counseling Services and you increase your chances of a successful recovery. Begin your first step of recovery by contacting Aspire Counseling Services.