Understanding the philosophy of the 12-Step Program
December 17, 2021
Many modern addiction treatment centers follow a strategy known as the 12-step program for their patients, which is intended to provide them with an outlined path for guidance and support. The 12-step program has been a popular set of guidelines for helping individuals with their addiction for almost a century, yet many people do not truly understand what has made it so impactful. The modern reader may see it as an outdated philosophy given that it is filled with religious references, but the fundamentals at its core are valuable regardless of an addict’s background or belief system.
The 12-steps are still used in their original form by AA and their core meaning has been transferred into other forms by different organizations.
The 12-Step Practice
The basic premise of the 12-Step model is that people can help one another achieve and maintain abstinence from the substances or behaviors to which they are addicted. They can do this through meetings in which they share their experiences, strength, and hope with one another and support each other in the ongoing effort of maintaining abstinence. A recent study in the journal Addiction Research and Theory shows that abstinence practices supported by 12-Step programs can account for high levels of what experts call “flourishing,” which is positive mental health and can contribute to longer-term recovery. In the study, those who maintained abstinence were more likely to flourish in the long-term, with 40.7 percent flourishing after three months (as compared to 9.3 percent languishing) and nearly 40 percent flourishing after 12 months (compared to 12.4 percent languishing).
Based on this study, those who abstain altogether from substances, as advised in the 12-Step model, have better mental health outcomes than those who don’t abstain. The 12-Step model gives people a framework from which to surrender their addiction, process their experience, and move forward into new patterns. Following the 12-Step model assists an individual by helping them build mental and emotional transformative practices and tools such as:
The ability to recognize and admit that one is experiencing an addiction problem,
A surrender to the fact that the addiction exists and a decision to seek control through an outer guide;
Self-observation and awareness of the behaviors caused by the addiction, as well as those that help promote self-restraint;
A chance to practice that restraint and build self-esteem in one’s positive capabilities;
Achievement of self-acceptance and the ability to change behaviors;
Compassion, both for those who have been affected by the addiction and for others who similarly struggle with addiction
Tools that make the process a continual practice throughout the individual’s life
By providing these experiences and tools, the 12-Step model can be a method for change in many types of behavior, helping individuals who wish to overcome addiction and find a path to recovery.
The over-arching theme of the 12-Steps conveys the idea that what you receive, you must pass on. The final step of the program urges the recovering person to go out and repay their second chance in life by helping others who are suffering from addiction. This benefits not only these new people who are in desperate need of help, but directly aids with the ongoing recovery process. Working with others serves to remind the recovering person of the struggles they have overcome while also maintaining accountability, finding a new sense of purpose, and strengthening their ties to a positive recovery community.
The 12-Step philosophy is geared toward reshaping the individual into a more positive version of themselves rather than simply targeting the immediate problem of dependence. This is what has allowed the program to stand the test of time and remain an effective treatment tool. It focuses on the long-term betterment of a person and, in turn, serves to strengthen them against future temptation from either their original substance or alternatives, reducing the odds of relapse.
What makes it even more significant is that the 12-step program has an emphasis on community building in order to aid each person’s ongoing recovery, enabling them to give back to others trapped by addiction. This paves the road for helping many more individuals in an effective manner and theoretically guides the world toward a place where the stigma of addiction fades and everyone has the opportunity to receive the help that they need.
