The 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) have allowed individuals to embrace recovery from alcoholism fully. Moreover, it has given them a supportive group of peers working toward the same goal of alcohol recovery. Contact Ashwood Recovery today at 888.341.3607 to learn more about the 12 steps for alcohol counseling from AA and our alcohol addiction treatment program in Idaho.
About Alcoholics Anonymous and Its 12 Steps
Since 1935, generations of problem drinkers have been aided by Alcoholics Anonymous. Since AA was founded, over 200 other fellowship groups have been formed to address many addictions.
If you or someone you love wants to overcome alcohol addiction through alcohol counseling, consider AA or contact Ashwood Recovery to speak with someone about our alcohol addiction treatment options—such as our outpatient program.
First Step
Addiction experts quickly say that a person has to admit there is a problem before recovery can begin. But the first step of the 12 steps of AA means more than this. It means finally rejecting the denial and self-deception that so often accompanies addiction.
Second Step
The idea of a higher power puts some people off, but AA isn’t a religious organization. The point is that you need to find a source of inspiration to help you stay sober.
Third Step
For some non-religious people, the third step can be problematic. Your Higher Power does not have to be a deity. It can also be:
- The recovery process itself
- Medical and mental health professionals
- The innate strength of human nature
- Your support system
- The fellowship you receive from other alcoholics
The exact nature of your Higher Power is personal—it only has to be something outside of and more significant than yourself in which people can place their faith.
Fourth Step
This inventory is also about uncovering your strengths—those positive traits you can expand upon. When a person knows their strengths and weaknesses, they can make better choices.
Fifth Step
Group therapy is one of the most successful methods of treating addiction. It can be hard to admit that you’ve done something wrong. But when someone keeps that inside, it creates guilt. This guilt makes them want to drink more.
Sixth Step
Tolerated behaviors and attitudes have often been the only way to cope you have ever known. Sometimes, it means relearning a new way to interact with the world.
Seventh Step
When people are humble, they admit when their way of doing things isn’t working and when they need help to overcome specific life problems. This step is much like the third step but is more specific.
Eighth Step
You have to acknowledge the role you may have played in hurting others. When you become willing to repair the damage you have done, you again reduce the destructive pain, anger, hurt, and resentment that addiction causes.
Ninth Step
Sometimes, reconnecting personally with someone you have harmed can reopen old wounds or cause difficulties in someone else’s life. This step requires you to apologize, repair your wrongs, and ask for forgiveness. It does not need the other person to grant that forgiveness.
Tenth Step
Admitting when we are wrong allows us to continue moving forward in humility, without the denial and self-deception that addiction brings about. This type of honesty is essential to recovery.
Eleventh Step
For some, GOD is an acronym for Good Orderly Direction. For others, it can even stand for a “Group Of Drunks”—the fellowship they receive from others in their AA meetings.
Twelfth Step
Recovery requires vigilance and work, one day at a time, for the rest of your life. You’ll find yourself repeating the 12 steps of AA over and over again as a means of safeguarding your sobriety.
Get Help for Alcohol Addiction in Idaho at Ashwood Recovery
Ashwood Recovery is a highly-rated treatment center in the Boise, Idaho area. Contact Ashwood Recovery today at 888.341.3607 to learn more about how our caring and compassionate team can help you or someone you love overcome alcohol addiction.