What is "Twelve Step
Fellowship"?
A twelve-step program is
a set of guiding principles that
outline a course of action for
recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral
problems.
Originally proposed by
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from
alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in
the 1939 book,
"Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One
Hundred Men Have Recovered From Alcoholism".
The method
has since been adopted by, and became the
foundation for, other twelve-step
programs such as Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous,
Co-Dependents Anonymous and Debtors Anonymous. The process
of twelve-step recovery has been characterized by Dr. Bob
- one of AA's co-founders - as
"Trust God, clean house, help others".
People who participate in twelve-step recovery programs find
that change from the destructive behavior of addiction is
possible through fellowship with fellow sufferers and by
attending twelve-step meetings, honestly sharing personal stories,
identifying with the experience of others and applying
freely offered suggestions for change in their own lives.
The scope of AA's
program is much broader than just changing drinking behavior.
The AA process encourages the transformation of the
alcoholic' character, producing a "personality change
sufficient to recover from alcoholism"
while abstaining from alcohol, one day at a time. The
personality change is believed to be brought about by means
of a spiritual awakening achieved from following the
Twelve Steps,
helping with duties and service work in AA,
and regular AA meeting attendance or contact with AA
members. Members are encouraged to find an experienced
fellow alcoholic called a sponsor to help them understand
and follow the AA program. Some members suggest the sponsor
is preferably one that has maintained sobriety for at least
a year and is of the same sex as the sponsored person, and
who does not impose personal views on the sponsored person.
Following the
helper therapy principle,
sponsors in AA benefit as much, if not more, from their
relationship than do those they sponsor. Helping behaviors
correlate with increased abstinence and lower probabilities
of binge drinking.
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