As you are progressing through your recovery journey, you have likely either heard of or utilized the 12-Step method. There are many benefits involved with this method. While each individual has different aspects of their recovery process that work for them, the 12-Step method can often provide a form of structure for people in recovery.
Utilizing the Twelve Steps
To utilize the 12-Step method, you need to know what these steps are. Review the 12-Step method, outlined below, and consider what these steps mean to you and your recovery journey.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
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.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
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.
12. 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.
As you can see, these steps are based on a spiritual mindset. This viewpoint is not for everyone in recovery. However, regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, these steps can provide you with a structure for establishing your goals and keeping you mentally on track with recovery.
Obtain a Sponsor
Sponsors are common resources for individuals who utilize the 12-Step method. A sponsor is someone who has been through the recovery process themselves and is now in a state of sobriety maintenance and stabilization. This individual can act as a mentor to you to encourage your success and empower your confidence in recovery success.
When you encounter difficulties with your recovery journey or feel unable to move past one of these steps, your sponsor can be a great resource to utilize. They have been through this experience first-hand and can provide you with deep insight into how to move past your current obstacle. It is important to find the right sponsor for you and use them as a resource for your success moving forward.
Engage in Meetings
When using the 12-Step process, there are many resources available to help you through these engagements. AA and NA meetings are common engagements that focus on the steps. These groups are often where you find a sponsor. Through these social interactions, you can also gain an external support system. In meeting with individuals who have a similar mindset and are encountering similar struggles, you can feel supported moving forward.
Benefits of 12-Step Meetings
There are many benefits involved in engagement with the Twelve Steps and attending 12-Step groups. Learn how you can utilize these group meetings to better your recovery journey.
Enhanced Motivation
Through recovery, it can be easy to lose sight of your goals, progress, and motivation. A loss of motivation is one of the most critical obstacles that hinder recovery success. While nearly everyone encounters this at some point, it is not always easy to move past it.
By engaging with these groups, you have the opportunity to hear the success stories of individuals who overcame this obstacle. Hearing success stories is a great way to improve your confidence in your abilities to move forward. Sharing your concerns can help you to release the negative build-up of thoughts and energy and leave with a clear goal and motivation to continue.
Increased Involvement
Staying involved with the recovery community is a great way to keep your mindset on track. By engaging with others in the recovery community on a regular basis, you are opening your experience to creating relationships with like-minded individuals. Establishing these relationships is an encouraging factor to go back to these meetings and stay engaged with the community. This level of engagement can provide you with a basic support structure to help push you forward in your recovery journey.
Improved Retention Rates
Individuals who choose to engage in 12-Step meetings have been shown to have increased levels of retention rates in maintaining sobriety. The likelihood of encountering a relapse is drastically reduced for those who regularly attend meetings and continue to stay involved in this community. This retention is likely a factor of the increased level of support and a consistent reminder of your standpoint within the steps.
If you choose to regularly attend these meetings, not showing up may cause worry to other members of the group. This level of support and accountability may be enough to help you refrain from engaging in substance use in the future.
The 12-Step method of recovery is commonly utilized to help individuals understand the power of addiction and overcome that power. While these steps tend to maintain a spiritual focus, there are many ways to interpret the steps to your own liking. One key benefit of the 12-Step method is the number of groups and meetings that are offered to help individuals understand their process of the steps. Attending these groups may not be for everybody, but there are many benefits involved with their engagement. Learn how you can engage with 12-Step groups and use them to assist your recovery needs. Reach out to Dream Recovery at (657) 216-7218 to learn how the 12-Step method can help you.