Before beginning a 12-step program for addiction, it’s good to have a basic understanding of why this approach seems to work so well. In the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction, it has proven effective many times over. At Fort Behavioral Health, we want you to recognize that it’s unnecessary to plan out every step from beginning to end. However, there are simple things you can do to prepare to work your own 12-step recovery program.
Familiarize Yourself with the First Step
The first step begins with an admission. Surprisingly, this step is one of the most powerful ones in the program. Simply admitting that you need help to solve a problem often brings immense relief. You’re not alone anymore. You no longer have a shameful secret that’s keeping you locked in silence. Everything is brought out into the light without judgment or recrimination. You’re not the only one. There are others just like you who are struggling just as you’re struggling.
The first step of a 12-step program requires you to admit that you’re powerless over drugs or alcohol and that your life has become unmanageable. It’s not an admission of defeat. Rather, it’s a release. You’ve finally addressed the elephant in the room. Now you’re free to figure out how to make him leave.
From the time they take that first step, many who struggle with addiction recovery feel an unexpected sense of empowerment and belonging. The isolation is over. There’s no longer a need for feelings of shame or embarrassment.
Read Through to the Final Step
From taking a moral inventory to learning how to admit it when we’re wrong, the 12-step program for addiction encourages accountability. In fact, the final step encourages acceptance, a vow to practice recovery behaviors, and a promise to pay our experience forward. In helping others, we learn better how to help ourselves.
While everyone works a 12-step therapy program in their own time and according to their own needs, all must arrive at the same destination. In the beginning, when you’re first starting your 12-step program for addiction, you may not clearly understand where it all ends. That’s okay. No one expects you to work ahead or to figure it all out on your own. Through your own treatment plan for drug or alcohol addiction, you’ll learn how to take each step whenever you’re ready.
Take Your 12-Step Therapy Program One Day at a Time
There’s no need to rush. There’s no need to force a step before you feel comfortable taking it. However, it is important to move steadily forward. Go at your own pace, according to where you are in your own recovery, and help others at every turn. The 12 steps will be only a part of your addiction treatment program. It may also include:
- Behavioral counseling
- Support group meetings
- Stress management training
- Holistic therapies such as music, art, or yoga
- Group and individual therapy
- Family therapy
Find what works for you and embrace it. Then carry it forward to others who may benefit as well.
The 12-Step Program for Addiction at Fort Behavioral Health
Regardless of where you are in your recovery journey, Fort Behavioral Health in Texas can help you succeed. From detox through aftercare, Fort Behavioral Health offers treatment approaches that help heal drug and alcohol addiction. In addition to our proven 12-step program for addiction, we offer an integrated healthcare approach, including evidence-proven and holistic options.
Start Your Recovery Today with Our 12-Step Program
When you’re ready to talk recovery from addiction in the Texas area, call Fort Behavioral Health at 844.332.1807. Or visit us online to see all we offer in the treatment of drug and alcohol addiction. You can recover from addiction. We can help. Contact us today.
