There are countless diseases affecting hundreds of millions of individuals in the world. These disease can be mild or severe, mental or physical, and each one requires its host to make a number of changes to his life in order to overcome what can sometimes be catastrophic effects. The concept of addiction as a disease has been very controversial, but it offers the most accurate, comprehensive explanation for the effects that alcohol and drug addiction has on individuals’ lives. Beginning as experimentation with substance abuse, some individuals become addicted to mind-altering, chemical substances due to a variety of factors, which can include genetic predisposition, environmental and social factors, and even one’s own development and behavior. As such, the development of addiction relies on a confluence of different factors, resulting in the breadth of ways that it causes harm and deterioration.
At the onset of substance abuse, individuals are in control of their consumption behavior. However, they continue to increase the frequency of their behavior under the pretense that they are doing this by choice. The escalation continues as the individual slowly loses control of his or her substance abuse, and often without even realizing it is happening. When the individual experiences withdrawal symptoms for the first time, he or she knows that it is too late and the addiction has occurred.
Since addiction affects one’s life in many different ways, recovery must account for or address the various components of a chemical dependency. Clinical treatment programs tend to emphasize the physical components of addiction as well as the links that behavior has to the longevity of substance abuse. However, the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is renowned for being a means of achieving physical recovery while also emphasizing the need to heal emotionally, socially, and even spiritually. Over the course of the Twelve Steps, individuals come to accept their powerlessness to the disease of addiction, become ready for a higher power to rid them of their flaws and defects, and make amends to those that they harmed over the course of active addiction. By the time they have reached the final steps, individuals have reached a point of maintenance and must implement the twelve-step method in their daily routine.
The Final Step & Carrying the Message of the Twelve Steps to Other Addicts
Much of the twelve-step method involves inward reflection and self-assessment. Over the course of the initial three steps, one must accept that life as an addict had become unmanageable while becoming willing to embrace the higher power of one’s understanding as the driving life force. The next steps involve learning how to embrace that higher power, which involves being able to look honestly at oneself and one’s past, being accountable for mistakes and wrongs committed against others, and attaining the humility necessary to admit those wrongs and make amends for them. From Step Ten onward, the individual is reaching a point of maintenance wherein the previous steps are utilized on a day-to-day basis. Having established a close connection with the higher power of one’s understanding and adopted an outlook of humility, individuals are prepared for what is the final step of the twelve-step method, which is to carry the message of twelve-step recovery to others in need.
Student Becomes Teacher: Helping Others Work the Twelve Steps
According to Alcoholics Anonymous literature, the Twelfth Step is as follows: “Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of [the Twelve Steps]… [individuals] carry this message to [others], and… practice these principles in all… affairs.” A very unambiguous, straightforward interpretation of Step Twelve is that it serves as the point at which the individual who has heretofore been working the steps—likely under the direct guidance of a more experienced member of Alcoholics Anonymous—becomes so experienced in the method of the Twelve Steps as to be ready to guide others through the process of twelve-step recovery. In short, the student becomes one of the teachers at the Twelfth Step.
Though it may seem that one might still be unqualified to help others work the Twelve Steps after having barely completed the steps him or herself, the process of working the steps is actually a much more time-consuming, intensive process than it would seem when you simply read the steps on paper. For some individuals, making it through each step in its entirety, from Step One to Step Twelve, can take several years; however, the length of time required to work all the steps varies depending on a number of factors. Additionally, individuals typically meet with a sponsor, or a more experienced individual helping them to work the Twelve Steps, numerous times to study the Alcoholics Anonymous literature, which affords a more comprehensive understanding of each step and what is required to complete it. As such, by the time they reach Step Twelve, many individuals have been working the steps for quite some time and, therefore, have accrued a rather thorough understanding of what each step takes to complete.
The Importance of the Twelfth Step of Alcoholics Anonymous
It’s important to be cognizant of the phrasing of Step Twelve for a couple of important reasons. Firstly, the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous is explicit in referring to twelve-step recovery as a “spiritual awakening” rather than anything resembling one’s having overcome a brain disease. This emphasis illustrates the importance of spirituality and achieving a state of spiritual fulfillment as part of the recovery process according to the twelve-step method. In essence, the phrasing of recovery as an overtly spiritual experience highlights the central role that spirituality plays in achieving long-term sobriety, which is often characterized as being more of a behavioral or physical state outside of the realm of twelve-step recovery.
Another important concept behind the Twelfth Step—though more an implication than explicitly stated—is that teaching others the methodology behind the Twelve Steps becomes a means of achieving further mastery of the material. If an individual were to only work the steps him or herself without becoming willing to guide others through the same process, he or she will loses the opportunity to continually review and study the literature. In essence, without teaching others an individual will have likely only studied the Twelve Steps once time. By helping others work through the steps, individuals get continuous and repeated exposure to the source material, which further instills in them the principles and methods that are central to the ideology. Communicating the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to others in need provides a means of further mastery while also giving them the satisfaction that comes with helping others overcome the disease of addiction by achieving physical, emotional, social, and spiritual recovery.
Find Happiness & Health Through Sobriety with Drug Treatment Center Finder
Though data pertaining to the effectiveness of the twelve-step method has traditionally been sparse, millions upon millions of individuals owe their sobriety to the methods they acquired while working the renowned Twelve Steps. However, in addition to twelve-step recovery there are other effective tools to help individuals overcome addiction. If you or someone you love is suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction and would like to discuss the treatment options that are available, Drug Treatment Center Finder can help. Call today for a free consultation and assessment with an experienced, caring recovery specialist. A healthy, fulfilling life is only a phone call away.