In the 1930, a spiritual program known as 12 Steps of AA was developed per chance during a meeting between Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson. Today, it is recognized as one of the most effective and result-driven methods to overcome alcohol addiction.

For many years of struggling with alcoholism, Bill & Bob came to the conclusion that traditional therapies are ineffective. However, as they were helping each other out to live a sober life, they realized that spirituality, accountability, and willingness to help others, together can work magic.

Thus, the duo organized a self-motivated group, Alcohol Anonymous, that has helped hundreds and thousands of addicts find recovery. Over the years, several AA meetings have held across the globe. Anyone can attend these meetings, making 12 steps of AA an ideal resource for long lasting recovery.

Today, Alcoholic Anonymous is not the only organization that uses the 12 Steps. There are several other substance and behaviour-oriented fellowships, including Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Cocaine Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, and more.

The 12 Steps is a straightforward program, aiming at finding freedom from using and a path to serenity. “One day at a time” is one of the famous mantras of this program.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. 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.

Reading them out might seem confusing to people but it is really a simple process. Understand it this way –

Steps 1 to 3 –

Accepting that you are powerless over your addiction simply means that when you start taking alcohol or drugs, you cannot always stop. Addicts who take this treatment often realize that they indeed have problem in relation with substances.

Steps 2 and 3 mean letting go of control. We turn our will and lives over to Higher Power, meaning doing what you think greater power wants us to do.

Steps 4 to 9 –

These steps are called as “Action Steps.” They focus on enlisting all the resentments and harms and sharing them with other addicts. We use this list to correct things we have done wrong or to make certain amendments in life.

These six steps show us how to live a burden-free life and not regret the things we have done in the past. It is commonly seen that shame and regret are the basic traits of every addict. By using these steps, addicts can rebuild broken relationships with their loved ones and get psychological relief.

Steps 10 to 12 –

These steps are defined as “Maintenance Steps.” Now that we have already learnt ‘how to live’ in steps 1 to 9, we should also know how to keep it moving. We represent our actions and behaviour everyday and apologize whenever necessary.

The 12^th Step is the basis of the program. It tells us how we can live a sober life by helping others like us through the 12 steps program. This gives addicts and recovering addicts a sense of belongingness and a perfect way to elevate self-esteem.