The goal of the Twelve Step recovery model is for an individual to have a spiritual experience and entire psychic change as a means of maintaining permanent sobriety. The mental obsession with alcohol and drugs is removed and we successfully recover from a hopeless state of body and mind by working the Twelve Steps and practicing the principles outlined in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous in all our affairs. Without having a spiritual experience and working with others suffering from addiction or alcoholism, we are unlikely to recover. These goals are of dire importance, and if we are to achieve and maintain sobriety, we should go through the steps rapidly and thoroughly, as originally intended by the cofounders of Alcoholics Anonymous. In the 1940’s, the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, encouraged newcomers to go through the Twelve Steps rapidly. An AA archivist, Wally P., compiled notes from the earliest days of AA to form a book called Back to Basics. Wally P. explained that Back to Basics is “a reenactment of Bill W.’s early vision for the fellowship,” and, “The format is basically four one-hour sessions a week for four weeks in which people take all 12 steps. It’s not a step study because the book says the steps we ‘took,’ not the steps we sat around and talked about. We don’t just ‘study’ these steps—we take them.” Newcomers may feel that going through the steps rapidly—in under thirty days—is asking too much. However, in early recovery, we often have the time to dedicate to step-work, and the removal of our addiction and alcoholism problems should be our top priority. Putting off step-work, or going through it slowly, may actually be dangerous. Wally P. explains, “In the 1970s, a lot of people forgot how to do the steps, especially in a group—even though fellowship is one of the reasons AA has historically been so successful. Back in the 1940s, people who came to AA had a 50-75% rate of recovery. The success rates have gone down ever since. But since Back to Basics came out in 1997, over 500,000 people have been through the program. Hundreds and thousands more accessed it via Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous, and other 12-step groups.” Before we go through the Twelve Steps, we are without defense against the first drink or drug. The time gap between giving up alcohol and beginning step-work can be disastrous. We cannot afford to delay. We must vigorously and thoroughly engage in the work, as originally intended by Alcoholics Anonymous, if we are to minimize our potential to relapse.
Your story can be one of happiness, joyousness, and freedom in sobriety. You can begin building a brighter future by making the decision to seek help today. Oceanfront Recovery, a treatment facility in beautiful Laguna Beach, offers a variety of treatment techniques and activities, including inside and outside Twelve Step meetings, as part of the Residential Treatment program. For more information about Residential Treatment and other individualized treatment options, please call today: (877) 279-1777
