Attending a 12-step meeting is a great way to connect with others who also want to recover from addiction. A variety of meeting options are available depending on your specific interest and need. Some meetings focus on listening to a speaker discuss their own experiences, while others are focused on discussing a specific step each week.
Twelve-Step Recovery Programs
A 12-step recovery program provides a community for those who want to share their personal experiences, strength, and hope from their journey to recovery. Different versions of these programs address a range of addictions, such as alcohol, drugs, gambling, and overeating.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is the original 12-step program, which was designed for those who want to stop drinking and stay sober. AA set the standard for other programs. Its twelve steps are as follows:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol and 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 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 of 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 the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these twelve steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Options for 12-Step Meetings
Anyone who wants to attend a 12-step meeting can do so free of charge. These meetings are open to anyone and are available all around the world. Meetings take place in churches, hospitals,
parks, and prisons. They often take on characteristics of the local area, and some are tailored to a specific group, such as youth or women. No matter what the meeting format is, the purpose remains the same: members share their experiences, strengths, and hopes so that they can stay on track in recovery and support the recovery of others. Meetings can either be:
- Open. An open meeting is available to anyone, including those who are not struggling with addiction.
- Closed. A closed meeting is available for those who have an addiction and a desire to heal.
Benefits of Twelve-Step Programs
Twelve-step programs are an effective tool in helping people overcome addiction and stay sober. These programs:
- Hold you accountable for your actions
- Provide a community filled with others who share in your experience and recovery
- Inspire you by exposing you to others who have successfully overcome their addiction
- Help you explore your spirituality
- Keep your expectations realistic by understanding that sobriety takes hard work and commitment
You Are Not Alone
If you need help with an addiction, you are not alone. We are here to help! At Twin Lakes Recovery Center, a leading Atlanta-area addiction treatment center, we can help you overcome your addiction. Our board-certified professionals provide a variety of therapeutic methods, such as individual, group, and family programming. We offer drug and alcohol detox services, inpatient residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, and continuing care. While in treatment, clients are encouraged to participate in twelve-step meetings to develop a network of support.
Help is available 24/7 at Twin Lakes Recovery Center. To find out more about what programs we have to offer, contact one of our addiction specialists to set up a confidential consultation by filling out our convenient online contact form.
