Remember the 12 Steps

[majestyjo]

The 12 Steps are a common denominator between all Fellowships. They are applicable to all areas of my life, including pain, eating disorder, busy/workaholic, etc. a drug is a drug.

The Twelve Steps

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.

[majestyjo]

In no way is my response meant to reflect negatively on yours.

Articles of this nature, may be more indicative of how society perceives recovery in general, than how recovery views itself. No matter how alcoholism is defined, its illness affects the body and the mind. Alcoholism, and the recovery programs that have spawned from the twelve steps, often unbeknownst by so-called experts have not simply a condition and a treatment process respectively, but are a magnification of life as many now know it to be. Recovery from any addiction is not a zero sum game, but rather a journey that hopefully continues to grow. To imply that recovery and medicine cannot co-exist in the way that they have for the last eighty years, is a disservice to the medical community, and also to the millions who have recovered exclusively in twelve step programs.

Had the article spent as much precious ink exploring the negative connotations and attributes on both sides of this issue, as it did in providing mere lip service, the reader would’ve been more informed on motive, and less confused about the warrants of a rhetorical lecture, which collapses endlessly beneath the weight of its entirety. Recovery programs are not based on anonymity. If they were, no one could ever find them. They are borne out of necessity. And to debase them in some sort of philosophical fodder for the faculty lounge down at the medical school for the sake of fixing something that ain’t broke is, well disconcerting.

Getting sober may frequently originate with the participant going through intervention to assuage treatment, but intervention as a continuum is a mischaracterization that would open the door to rebellion, which is a fatal malady sought only by people who may not have the best interest in mind for the welfare of the alcoholic.

In the book Alcoholics Anonymous is a section called The Doctor’s Opinion where Silkworth describes the allergy, the phenomenon of craving, and the alcoholic who needs to find something more than human power can provide. I would cheerfully recommend that reading to the medical director who wrote this piece.

What Dr. Silkworth could not foresee, is the fine line that medicine would eventually be required to walk between pharmaceutical benefits and the potential for behavioral exploitation. Scores of people have increased the quality of life through the former, but behind the prospective latter lies a heavier reliance on drugs in general, which, in a highly volatile environment, could possibly increase problems for addiction, but also be a very lucratively feasible outcome for the realm of medicine.

There’s one way that the pharmacological industry can look at recovered drunks and addictive behaviors in the light of its own advantage, and that is obviously not by assisting them in their quest to find a higher power, nor in the psychic change that supplements such a discovery encountered by working the twelve steps. It is unfortunately through the prism of a huge dollar sign.

Quote from another site

[majestyjo]

Thanks for sharing. I look at the 12 Steps as a common denominator between ALL Fellowships. As my sponsor use to say, "Sobriety means soundness of mind." I don't have sobriety if I don't apply the program to ALL areas of my life. My primary spiritual aim is to be healthy, happy, and whole, as they say in Al-Anon.

Twelve Steps
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 others, and to practice
these principles in all our affairs.


Twelve Traditions
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal progress
for the greatest number depends upon unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one authority—
a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.
Our leaders are but trusted servants—they do not govern.

3. The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for
mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family group,
provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only
requirement for membership is that there be a problem of
alcoholism in a relative or friend.

4. Each group should be autonomous, except in matters
affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.

5. Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help
families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps
of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic
relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of
alcoholics.

6. Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our
name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property
and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a
separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics
Anonymous.

7. Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining
outside contributions.

8. Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-
professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may
create service boards or committees directly responsible to those
they serve.

10. The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues;
hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than
promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the
level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special
care the anonymity of all AA members.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions,
ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.


Spiritual Principles of the 12 Steps:
Honesty, Acceptance, Surrender, Hope, Commitment, Faith,
Courage, Willingness, Humility, Unconditional love, Perseverance,
Open-mindedness, God-Centeredness, Awareness, Vigilance,
Self-discipline, Sharing and caring, Patience, Forgiveness,
Optimism, Selflessness, Compassion, Consideration, Kindness,
Positive thinking, Responsibility, Tolerance, Trust, Unity, Gratitude
and Service.

[majestyjo]

Sadly part of this post was deleted. The whole thing should have been deleted and part ofe wants to do it now. Leaving it as is because the spiritual principles are listed. What comes to mind is the fact that the drug, no matter what form it take, is but a symptom of my disease/dis-ease. The problem is me. Have heard at meetings that the Al-Anon member is sicker than the alcoholic. One of the reasons I called myself one of the really sick ones. I qualify for both sides of the street. My mother's heart attack was a result of her eating disorder and she died at the age of 40. My father was an alcoholic and my son is a self admitted one. I labelled my ex-husband an alcoholic because I drank with him. Using (people, places, and things or relationships, my bed, pills, food, alcohol) is not an option. I