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12. Describe the 12 steps of alcoholics anonymous (AA) and the factors involved

(12 of 12)

  • The Twelve Steps

    • Step 1: Honesty After many years of denial, recovery can begin when with one simple admission of being powerless over alcohol -- for alcoholics and their friends and family.
    • Step 2: Faith It seems to be a spiritual truth, that before a higher power can begin to operate, you must first believe that it can.
    • Step 3: Surrender A lifetime of self-will run riot can come to a screeching halt, and change forever, by making a simple decision to turn it all over to a higher power.
    • Step 4: Soul Searching There is a saying in the 12-step programs that recovery is a process, not an event. The same can be said for this step -- more will surely be revealed.
    • Step 5: Integrity Probably the most difficult of all the steps to face, Step 5 is also the one that provides the greatest opportunity for growth.
    • Step 6: Acceptance The key to Step 6 is acceptance -- accepting character defects exactly as they are and becoming entirely willing to let them go.
    • Step 7: Humility The spiritual focus of Step 7 is humility, asking a higher power to do something that cannot be done by self-will or mere determination.
    • Step 8: Willingness Making a list of those harmed before coming into recovery may sound simple. Becoming willing to actually make those amends is the difficult part.
    • Step 9: Forgiveness Making amends may seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but for those serious about recovery it can be great medicine for the spirit and soul.
    • Step 10: Maintenance Nobody likes to admit to being wrong. But it is absolutely necessary to maintain spiritual progress in recovery.
    • Step 11: Making Contact The purpose of Step 11 is to discover the plan God as you understand Him has for your life.
    • Step 12: Service For those in recovery programs, practicing Step 12 is simply "how it works."

  • The effectiveness of AA is related to psychological factors contributing to “real religious insight” and facilitation of social factors involving the “protective wall of the human community”. AA meetings are available in most communities and meetings can vary by single-sex, mixed or sexual orientation. A key feature of AA is anonymity, which facilitates an absence of status and lack of stigma. AA groups are free, easily available, and are available for the long-term. Several studies have shown that AA attendance produces abstinence equal to that of professional treatment, however individuals with a dual diagnosis do better in dual diagnosis self-help groups. Factors within AA that relate to abstinence include: 1). Spirituality, which can act by generating a recovery scheme that reframes stressors, 2). Alterations in the drinker’s social network so there is a decreased association with heavy drinkers and an increased association with non-drinkers, and 3). The development of confidence to deal with high-risk situations and affective factors that can lead to relapse. AA attendance did not alter measures of anger. Since AA is free, successful attendance can generate savings from inpatient and outpatient services of up to $8000 per patient. It has been found that adding AA two cognitive behavioral treatments or motivational interviewing improves efficacy. An important factor is social network support, which can be initiated during an office visit by establishing a personal communication of the patient with an AA member. AA appears to be efficacious in different ways to different people and clients can find a group that fits their preferences. Therefore it is strongly recommended that AA attendance be an important part of the treatment program for alcoholism.