The 12-Steps are a spiritual program that was developed in the 1930s. It is one of the most well-known and effective methods for overcoming addiction.

The 12-Steps were born out of a chance meeting between Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith.

For years Bill and Dr. Bob had been struggling with alcoholism and had found traditional therapies ineffective. However, as they helped each other, they realized that their attempts to stay sober were working. They found that a combination of accountability, spirituality, and helping others seemed to work magic.

Bill and Dr. Bob formed Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization that has helped countless people find recovery. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings have spread throughout the globe.

Today you can find Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in over 180 countries, and there are an estimated 2 million members. Meetings are free to attend, which makes the 12-Steps a perfect portable resource for long-term recovery. You can access 12-Step peer support wherever you are in the world.

Researchers in Social Work and Public Health state that 12-Step programs “provide participants with support for remaining substance-free, a social network (the “fellowship”) with which to affiliate, and a set of 12 guiding principles (the “steps”) to be followed in the recovery process.”

The 12-Step recovery program is based on the daily maintenance of a spiritual program. It is the perfect antidote to the isolation of active addiction.

Our clients often arrive at our doors feeling very disconnected from who they want to be. With your determination and our guidance, we can help you reconnect to your true self.

The 12-Steps are a simple program – “keep it in the day” is one of the popular mantras. They are a linear guide to finding freedom from addiction and a path to serenity.  The 12-Steps are:

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.

Although this might seem confusing and overwhelming to a newcomer, the 12-Steps are a straightforward process. We break down how they work in the following section.

Steps 1-3

Admitting you are powerless over alcohol (or drugs) simply means that when you start, you cannot always stop. Most people who come into treatment have realized that they have a problem with their relationship with substances.

Steps 2 and 3 are simply about letting go of control. We realize that under our own power, we will likely use drugs or drink again. Turning our will and our lives over to the care of something greater than ourselves simply means doing what you think a loving higher power would want you to do.

Steps 4-9

These are known as the ‘action steps.’ They center around making a list of all our harms and resentments and sharing them with another human. We use this list to make amends where we can and right some of the wrongs we have made.

Steps 4 to 9 show us how to live in the world without being burdened by our past. Shame and regret are very common traits in our clients. These steps help us to build bridges with loved ones and friends and are a brilliant cathartic process.

Steps 10-12

Steps 10-12 are known as the ‘maintenance steps.’ We have already learned how to live in the world in steps 1-9, and now we keep on living. We reflect on our behaviors and actions daily and apologize when we need to.

Step 12 is the cornerstone of the program. It centers around staying sober by helping others through the steps. Clients often feel that this gives them a sense of purpose, belonging, and is a brilliant way to boost self-esteem.

A common misconception about the 12-Steps is that you need to follow an organized religion. The 12-Steps are a spiritual program, not a religious one.

People are encouraged to explore their spiritual side and find their interpretation of the word. For some, this might mean prayer. For others, it could be quiet moments of reflection. Ardent believers and atheists alike have all found peace, serenity, and sobriety with the 12-Steps.

At Cirque Lodge, we provide the perfect backdrop for this spiritual experience. Our experiential and cognitive therapies are a fantastic accompaniment to the self-exploration and improvement of the 12-Steps.

Alcoholics Anonymous is not the only organization that uses the 12-Steps.

There are a multitude of substance and behavior-specific fellowships such as:

• Narcotics Anonymous
• Heroin Anonymous
• Cocaine Anonymous
• Gamblers Anonymous
• Codependents Anonymous
• Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous

The wide range of different fellowships available means that you can go wherever you want globally and have an understanding network of peers. At Cirque Lodge, we will provide all of the support you need during your stay.

However, clients still have to work on their recovery after they leave. We provide the foundations and the framework, but clients need to grow on their own. 12-Step meetings are a fantastic place to continue your recovery journey.