Recover from addiction with the leading self-empowering addiction recovery support group and alternative to 12 step groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous AA or Narcotics Anonymous NA. A twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for tackling problems including alcoholism, drug addiction and compulsion.
Alcoholics Anonymous | Learn About The 1. Steps of AAThe Basics of AAThe Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). AA program participants follow a set of recovery steps to achieve and maintain abstinence from alcohol. Many people use a. The program uses a. Members define that higher power in their own way—it does not have to be God. Meetings are often. Some meetings are open to anyone who wants to attend, while others are only for alcoholics or prospective AA members. Becoming a member is free. The only requirement is a desire to stop drinking. You must be an alcoholic to join AA. But anyone can attend open meetings. What Is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)? Getting Sober With AA. I had been in and out of AA meetings for 1. Karen R. Learn More About Karen. Read Karen's full story and hear from others in recovery from alcohol abuse. Read more. Alcoholics Anonymous is an international organization of individuals who have struggled with drinking at some point in their lives. AA is supported and organized by its members, and it operates independently of any outside funding. It is not affiliated with any religious or political group. The organization's goal is to promote sobriety by "carrying its message" to suffering alcoholics. All AA members remain anonymous. The anonymity removes the stigma of identification and recognition and allows participants a more comfortable experience in recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous is open to all persons regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. The only requirement to become a member is the desire to stop drinking. What Are the 1. 2 Steps of AA? Is Alcoholics Anonymous Religious? AA originally focused on religion as a means to sobriety. But the program has since adopted a more spiritual focus rather than a God- centric one. In the. "Big Book"—the central text of AA that outlines the program—the twelve steps are defined as a "set of principles, spiritual in nature, when practiced as a way of life, can expel the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become happily and usefully whole."The AA Twelve Steps. The 1. 2 steps of AA are as follows. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. Many alcoholics have a hard time admitting that they can't control their alcohol use. Once they acknowledge that they are unable to stop on their own, the recovery process can begin. Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. AA believes that people with an alcohol addiction need to look to something greater than themselves to recover. Those working the steps are free to choose whatever higher power works for them. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. For this step, the alcoholic consciously decides to turn themselves over to whatever or whomever they believe their higher power to be. With this release often comes recovery. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. This step requires self- examination that can be uncomfortable, but honesty is essential in this process. The key is to identify any areas of past regret, embarrassment, guilt or anger. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. This step involves admitting to past poor behavior. Often, alcoholics will share what they wrote down during the previous step with their sponsor. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. The alcoholic admits that they are ready to have their higher power remove the wrongs they listed in Step 4. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. Every person has character defects, whether they come in the form of impatience, anger, apathy, criticism or negativity. The recovering alcoholic is not strong enough to eliminate these defects on their own, so they ask their higher power to do so. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Alcoholics write down all of the people they have wronged through their alcoholism. The wrongs could range from large to small - from stealing from them to buy more alcohol to talking negatively behind their backs. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Many alcoholics work with their sponsor to figure out the best way to complete this step. Making amends could include writing a letter to a person or sitting down face to face with them. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. This step involves a commitment to monitor yourself for any behaviors that may be detrimental to yourself or others and to admit when you are wrong. 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. Step 1. 0 requires you to commit to some kind of spiritual practice. That practice could be anything from prayer, to meditation, to reading scripture. 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. This step encourages members to help others in their recovery. Many members become sponsors once they have completed the 1. The AA 1. 2 Traditions. AA also has. twelve traditions that it follows. These traditions serve as guidelines for living and working together both within AA and outside the program. Do You Have to Be Religious to Join? AA welcomes non- religious people even though the program takes a spiritual approach to treatment. The spiritual aspect comes into play with the twelve steps and their reference to God or a "higher power."The 1. AA acknowledge that people may conceptualize a higher power in different ways and clarify this with the addition of "as we understood Him" with almost every reference to God. The "higher power" concept is about recognizing that some forces are beyond our control. AA accepts people of all faiths, even atheists and agnostics. However, nonreligious people may find themselves more comfortable in a secular 1. Step alcoholics support group or a. Step addiction recovery program. How Did AA Start? Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1. Prohibition in the United States and during the Great Depression. The co- founders, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith—both alcoholics—had a chance meeting that year. With each other's help, they both achieved lasting sobriety. The identity of AA took shape in the following years, and it was solidified in 1. Bill Wilson completed the book. Alcoholics Anonymous," which lays out the 1. What Happens at an AA Meeting? AA meetings can take place anywhere. But often they are held in public, accessible buildings with lots of parking, such as churches, schools, coffee shops and restaurants. Occasionally, members hold meetings in correctional and treatment facilities. However, public spaces are the more common setting for AA meetings. Types of Meetings. The basic meeting format and rules depend on the type of meeting. Speaker meetings. AA members share their experiences with alcohol abuse, how they found the program, and about their recovery through the program. This type of meeting focuses more on sharing and listening than interaction. Discussion meetings. One member speaks briefly about their own struggles with alcohol, then leads a discussion about recovery with AA and any drinking- related issue that another person brings up. This type of meeting is much more interactive than a speaker meeting. Step meetings. Everyone discusses one of the AA 1. Open vs. Closed Meetings. AA meetings can be open or closed. Open meetings mean that anyone is welcome: both alcoholics and non- alcoholics. This is the best way to learn more about AA—what it is, what it does, and whether or not this recovery program is for you. Speaker meetings are often open, and discussion meetings are sometimes open. Closed meetings are only for alcoholics or prospective AA members. Discussion meetings are sometimes closed, and 1. Step meetings are usually closed. This ensures a tight- knit support community specifically for alcohol abuse recovery. General Rules. Nobody is ever required to participate, give their name or identify themselves as "alcoholics" (though many do). AA programs want members to feel comfortable with sharing and growing together. But they also recognize that everyone does this at his or her own pace. The program focuses on abstinence. This means resisting the urge to drink and take other psychoactive or illicit substances. However, prescribed drugs such as antidepressants and other medications are permitted while in the AA program. Get Help for Alcohol Abuse. Alcoholics Anonymous meeting or alcohol treatment program. A sponsor is a fellow AA member who has made some progress in the recovery process. The sponsor shares his or her experience in the recovery program on a person- to- person basis with another alcoholic who is working on sobriety through AA. The sponsorship aspect of the program can provide continuous, individual support for both the sponsor and the person being sponsored. This person is your personal connection to the program. They can offer phone support outside of meetings for any questions or concerns about relapse. Though not mandatory, sponsors can make a huge difference in your recovery. Working the 1. 2 steps of AA with a sponsor has been associated with longer- lasting abstinence,1 so consider connecting with a sponsor early in your AA recovery. How Do You Join AA? Becoming a member of AA is as simple acknowledging that you have a drinking problem and deciding that you want to be a member. If you have checked out the meetings and found the program to be helpful, you can simply consider yourself a member. However, AA is an organization specifically for alcoholics, though open 1. The program is free and you have no monetary or social obligation. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking, no matter how small.
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