12 Step Program – Is It Right For You?
What is a 12 Step Program?
A 12 step program is a meeting that teaches a set of guidelines/principles that people try to follow to recover from some type of addiction or compulsion. In these meetings, people gather and listen to people speak about their experiences with addiction and recovery.
Generally, meetings are held in hospitals, churches, or clubhouses designated just for meetings. There are different 12 step meetings for various addictions – for example, alcoholics anonymous meetings, narcotics anonymous meetings, cocaine anonymous meetings, gamblers anonymous meetings, and sex and love addicts anonymous meetings, to name a few.
What Do You Do At A 12 Step Program Meeting?
For me, having a 12 step recovery program was extremely important in the early stages of sobriety. I was definitely nervous the first time I went to a meeting, and it would have been nice to know what to expect.
There is usually a speaker who spends the first half of the meeting sharing their story of recovery and hope. Once they finish telling their story, people will raise their hand and share something they relate to from that person’s story. Alternatively, they may share something they are struggling with, or maybe even something they have accomplished.
If you aren’t comfortable doing that at first, you don’t have to. You can sit in the back of the room and just listen and decide if the meetings are for you. One of the most important aspects of a twelve-step program is anonymity. What you share in the meetings is private, and the people who attend the meetings will not be shared with anyone. No one is to break anyone’s privacy or anonymity by disclosing who attends a meeting or what someone said at a meeting. In my experience, I have never had any trouble with this. People are incredibly respectful and follow this idea very thoroughly.
If you are still not comfortable with the idea of actually going to a meeting, you can find AA meetings online! This way, you can be in the privacy of your own home while still being in contact with other recovering alcoholics and see what you think about AA.
It is absolutely free to attend a meeting. At some point, whoever is in charge of the meeting will pass a basket, and you are welcome to donate a dollar or two if you wish, but it is not mandatory. This money goes towards paying for rent of the meeting site, literature (informative pamphlets and meeting lists that are handed out for free), coffee/food (also passed out at most meetings for free), and other expenses that help keep the meetings alive.
How Is A12 Step Program Helpful?
For me, attending meetings and being a part of a 12 step program was not just about maintaining sobriety. It kept me clean and sober, but it also changed my whole life in many other ways. Knowing that I had somewhere to go where people would understand me was incredibly important for me. Meetings allowed me to get insight into my own life and be accountable to myself.
They also allowed me to help other people, which was really important in the beginning of my recovery journey. I ended up making a lot of good friends through meetings as well.
A 12 step program can also be beneficial to family members and friends of alcoholics. For example, al-anon is a twelve-step program explicitly designated for those affected by a loved one’s alcoholism. Nar-anon is another 12 step program for those affected by someone’s addiction(s).
Meetings are also a great place to find a sponsor. Having a sponsor is a huge part of participating in a twelve-step program. A sponsor is someone who can help guide you through the program and the 12 steps. It’s usually someone who has been clean and sober for a while and is comfortable and willing to guide others through their sobriety. Getting a sponsor in the early stages is important, but people who have been sober for decades often still have sponsors.
Nothing in a 12 step program is mandatory, but if you are going to attend meetings, it’s a good idea to at least try out getting a sponsor and working through the steps.
Finding 12 Step Program Options That Work For You
If you aren’t sure if a twelve-step program is for you, the best way to decide is to check out a few meetings. For me, it was important to be open-minded and really give the meetings a chance.
If you’re unsure how to proceed but want to find a meeting, please contact us and ask for help! If you tell us your area and the type of meeting you want, we would be more than happy to help you find a meeting near you.
If you have questions or comments about anything else regarding AA/NA meetings or any other twelve-step program, feel free to contact us as well! If we don’t know the answer, we’ll find it for you!