Alcoholism and the Twelve Steps

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has a twelve-step program for those suffering from alcohol abuse or alcoholism. Individuals with the disease alcoholism benefit from the twelve steps because it gives them a plan for making the disease manageable and to help them accept the reality of the disease that they will have for life. Yes, alcoholism is a chronic disease, there is no cure and the individual must learn how to live with the disease or it can and will end the life they have. The process of recovery from your disease begins with admitting that you have alcoholism and that you can overcome the consequences of the signs and symptoms of alcoholism.

Although the AA twelve step program is not the only treatment program available it is a program that is often recommended to complement other programs. It is also a well-known program so there is an instant feeling of confidence.

When you first begin the 12 step program at AA, you are required to humble yourself and admit to yourself and others that you have indeed joined countless others as an alcoholic suffering from a chronic disease called alcoholism. Once you admit where you are in life and that you have a need to recover from your addiction to alcohol you can then start the process of learning how to manage your disease.

You will be told that following the twelve steps will not be easy but that all twelve steps are an essential part of your recovery.

One of the steps to recovery is recognizing that there is a power bigger than you in the universe, namely, God and that you are in need of improving your relationship with God, as you understand "God" to be within your culture. This is because the recovery program at AA has a very strong spiritual component. This component though is non-denominational. In other words you will not be pushed to follow any particular denominational thinking or to join any religion. You are simply asked to recognize that part of managing your life understands where your life comes from and that there is a higher power that effects you in a powerful way.

This is a program that you are encouraged to continue with long after you have completed going through all twelve steps of the program. Those who run your local AA program of twelve steps are just like you, dealing with a disease, alcoholism. They understand where you are coming from and where you are headed if you do not learn how to manage your disease. They can support you better than anyone because they understand you. The AA twelve-step program has the belief that when an individual alcoholic accepts that there is a higher power it is the key to overcoming alcoholism and learning how to manage the symptoms of the disease.

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