12 Step Program Alcoholics Anonymous Meetings

What is Alcoholics Anonymous?

To overcome addiction and effective relapse prevention, make sure never to skip your treatment programs and join alcoholics anonymous.

Treatment programs may include 12 step groups, post-rehab therapy, and other rehab aftercare services after you undergo inpatient or outpatient treatment.

But, never let your guard down;  thinking you are fully recovered can make it easy to go back to old obsessions and patterns  (which eventually lead towards a relapse).

Alcoholics Anonymous is an international fellowship of men and women who have had a drinking problem.

It is nonprofessional, self-supporting, multiracial, apolitical, and available almost everywhere.  There are no age or education qualifications.

Membership is open to anyone who desires to do something about their drinking problem.

Since the book, Alcoholics Anonymous first appeared in 1939, this introductory text has helped millions of individuals heal from alcoholism.

The most effective rehab aftercare programs are personalized to the individual’s needs and circumstances.  Rehab Aftercare programs may include 12-step programs and outpatient supports.

Currently available in the General Service Conference-approved Fourth Edition, the Big Book holds the stories of the co-founders and members of distinct backgrounds who have encountered recovery in the Fellowship.

Relapse rates for substance use disorders (40 to 60 percent) are comparable to those for chronic diseases, such as diabetes (20 to 50 percent), hypertension (50 to 70 percent), and asthma (50 to 70 percent).  [1]

But individuals who take advantage of aftercare services experience lower relapse rates than people who do not participate in aftercare programs such as these A.A. meetings.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12-Step Program

Twelve-step programs have been around for almost a century and are a familiar topic within recovery communities.

For example, the 12 Steps program for alcohol abuse is often used alongside formal behavioral therapy and medication-assisted treatment (MAT).

The 12 Steps were designed to encourage participants to achieve and maintain sobriety.

Generalized in the early 20th century with the formation of Alcohol Anonymous, the success of the steps program for alcohol addiction led to creating its virtually identical counterpart, Narcotics Anonymous.

Notwithstanding the substance at hand, the purpose of the Twelve Steps is to empower recovering alcoholics to be introspective and take responsibility for their actions.

In doing so, individuals can learn to identify the source of their alcoholism, triggers, and ultimately, find lasting support in moving past it.

Alcoholics anonymous program extends beyond abstaining from alcohol. Its goal is to effect enough difference in the alcoholic’s thinking “to bring about recovery from alcoholism” through “an entire psychic change,” or spiritual awakening.

After undergoing the entire treatment program, it is important for our clients to adopt habits that will ensure continuing sobriety. This involves engaging in behaviors such as taking part in 12-step groups, having time for prayers and meditation, and being attentive to self-care.

A spiritual awakening is intended to be achieved by taking the Twelve Steps, and sobriety is furthered by volunteering for Alcoholics anonymous. and regular A.A. meeting attendance or contact with alcoholics anonymous members.

Members are urged to find an experienced fellow alcoholic, called a “sponsor,” to help them recognize and follow the alcoholics anonymous program.

The sponsor should preferably know all twelve steps, be the same sex as the sponsored person, and avoid imposing personal views on the sponsored person.

Following the helper therapy principle, sponsors in alcoholics anonymous may benefit from their relationship with their charges, as “helping behaviors” associated with increased abstinence and lower probabilities of binge drinking.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Steps

A.A.’s Twelve Steps are a group of principles, spiritual in their nature, which, if followed as a way of life, can dismiss the obsession to drink and enable the sufferer to become joyfully and usefully whole.

The 12 Steps Are:

1. We admitted we were powerless over our addiction—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. We decided 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. We have admitted to God, ourselves, and 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. We 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. We 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 practice these principles in all our affairs.

Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Traditions

A.A.’s Twelve Traditions refer to the life of the Fellowship itself.  They outline how A.A. preserves its unity and relates itself to the world about it, the way it lives and grows.

The 12 Traditions Are:

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon A.A. unity.
2. There is but one ultimate authority for our group purpose —a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
3. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking/using.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
5. Each group has one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.
6. An A.A. group ought never to endorse, finance, or lend the A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every AA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. A. should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
9. A. as such ought never to be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. A. has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never to 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, and films.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

“Closed” vs. “Open” Meetings of

Alcoholics Anonymous

In a closed A.A. meeting, the only people who may attend are those who are recovering addicts (or those interested in learning more about overcoming their addiction)

Open meetings allow the attendance of friends, spouses, and family members.

This is beneficial for those who wish to remain connected to a friend and family members and feel family members’ support creates feelings of safety.

Closed meetings could protect privacy, allowing limited or no outside involvement. Whether you decide to go to a closed or open meeting depends exclusively on what you’re comfortable with.

Some people would rather keep their recovery separate from the rest of their life, hence closed meetings. Others thrive on the support that loved ones can provide during meetings, therefore open meetings.

12-Step Program At Level Up West Palm

At Level Up West Palm, we passionately believe that the best chances of success at alcoholism recovery are when clients are given the right tools.

But that is still only half of the battle; making those resources accessible and convenient plays a significant role in the possibility of proper recovery.

As such, we are pleased to offer our aftercare services and treatment programs (individual counseling, group therapy, and 12-step program meetings that are the same as Alcoholics Anonymous) at the same facility.

Our comprehensive program is an obvious choice, particularly for individuals who have experienced multiple relapses in the past.

This means less headache and annoyance for our clients, who can spend more time focusing on getting better.

If you or a loved one is dealing with an addiction to alcohol or other drugs, especially if you have experienced multiple relapses in the past, then look no further.

With an incredible success rate for long-term recovery, We Level Up Treatment Centers, including Level Up Palm Beach County, offers one of the most comprehensive addiction recovery programs available in The United States, bringing hope to families every day.

We provide treatment services to all local communities including but not limited to West Palm as we also serve clients from around the United States who need the best drug and alcohol treatment options that best meet their needs.

Looking for Immediate Help?

Please speak with one of our 24/7 Addiction Advisors.