Help4Addiction can find the right rehab clinic for you.
Those that live in England and Wales and suffer from alcoholism or a drug addiction, will be pleased to know that we also connect you to 12 step program resources (Also know as the 12 steps of recovery). Our organisation specialises in matching you to the best rehab clinic near you by asking you a series of questions and weighing your responses appropriately. We have a working knowledge of several hundred rehab clinics, meaning that we can find the one that works for you without more than a quick search.
Not everyone appreciates the courage and strength it takes for someone suffering from addiction to actually reach out to rehab services. When you do take that admirable step, you shouldn’t be met with confusion. Our founder was once an addict himself, and when he tried to quit his drug addiction, he struggled to find a professional service that did more than point him in the direction of his nearest centre. Even if you use the NHS and get that referral to a GP, they will refer you to the nearest rehab clinic near you – not the one that is best for your personality, wants, needs, and rehab expectations.
One final thought on this matter: the right rehab service for your personality, hobbies, and interests, all give you a better chance at quitting drink or drugs the first time around.
One of the most trusted models of recovery from alcoholism has thus far been the twelve step treatment program that was initially devised by the famous organisation, Alcoholics Anonymous. But what is this 12 step treatment program, and can it help you to quit drinking or to treat your drug addiction? We put together this short guide to enlighten you.
The History Behind the 12 Step Alcoholic Recovery Treatment Plan
Back at the start of the 20th century, addiction treatment plans weren’t really a thing, per say. It wasn’t until 1935 that two fellows, both recovering addicts themselves, decided to start a sort of club where they could help themselves (and other addicts) to recover. Their names were Dr Robert Holbrook Smith and Bill Wilson. A nice idea soon turned into the Alcoholics Anonymous, and this organisation persists to this day. By 1939, the 12 steps that the two men had devised for use among their members had gained enough notoriety for them to release a book on the subject. The book was called “Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism”.
The book quickly gained traction since addictions were largely swept under the family rug in those days. Once the mainstream media caught on to the fact that there were twelve steps involved in the process, the methods devised by Wilson and Smith were seized and elevated to suit a variety of organisations. As we know of it today, more than 200 fellowships around the globe adapted the method to suit their recovery programs.
Nowadays, the techniques devised by the original program is used all over the world. There is a Cocaine Anonymous, a Narcotics Anonymous, A Marijuana Anonymous and even programs meant to accommodate your family members into your treatments. There is Co-Dependents anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, and numerous other charities, groups, and firms, all over the world. The 12 step program is very much still a part of the way we treat recovering addicts to this day.
With all of this illustrious history in mind, let’s move on to what the 12 steps actually are and how they apply to your life.
The 12 Steps Begin After Detox
A note on detox first. When you engage with any 12 step treatment plan, it is due to start once you have gone through the detox program. It cannot begin before that, since you need to be clean of drink or drugs before you begin. If you are interested in enlisting in a detox facility, contact our advisors on 0203 955 7700, or get in touch with us through our online consultation service, and one of our team will get back to you.
Whether you need alcohol detox or drug detox, we are able to connect you with the right resources to get you through it. Afterwards, look us up again to get the best rehab clinic choices to start your 12 step treatment plan with.
What Are the Old AA 12 Steps?
Next. let’s tackle exactly what you have to do during the 12 steps program if you want to complete it as either your drug rehab or your alcohol rehab programs.
1 – Taking the First Step towards Recovery from Addiction
The first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem – and the twelve step program is the origin of that exact phrase. The first step means admitting that you were an addict and making peace with the fact that your life had become unmanageable because of it. Now that you have decided to change your ways, you will henceforth be on an upward turn.
2 – The Second Step is a Spiritual One
The AA’s 12 step program was written at a time when God was a big part of our day-to-day lives. As such, some of the original 12 steps involve dealing with a higher power. For the 2nd step, that means believing in that higher power and asking them to restore you to ‘sanity’. Which leads to the 3rd step…
3 – Turning yourself Over
When you reach this stage you have already recognised there is a higher power at work in your life. Step three encourages you to turn control of your life back over to God in the hope that he will help you. Don’t panic if you are not religious, we will get to the modern version of these steps commonly employed by rehab centres of today in a moment.
4 – The Moral Inventory
What Smith and Wilson taught next was that you took a full and just moral inventory of your life. This means looking at who you have hurt on a karmic level and deciding where the responsibility lies. More often than not it lies with the addict.
5 – Admitting your Wrongs
It is now that the participant in the program realises, they are at least 50% (likely more) responsible for all of the bad things their addiction has made them do.
6 – Preparation for Forgiveness
At this point, we ask God or our other higher power to remove the defects from your character so that you can start a clean slate. These steps of forgiveness are psychologically significant, since they allow you this fresh start.
7 – Forgiveness for our Addictions
When enough time has passed, we have developed a slightly different outlook wherein our higher power has removed these defects and empowered us to move forward in our cleaner lives.
8 – The Dreaded 12 Steps List
This is when you see the film and television alcoholics going to their friends and family with a list of apologies for past actions. This technique is a fully positive one that feels fully negative at the time. Many modern rehab clinics in England and Wales are able to facilitate this step with the support of a therapist and even bring your family in for sessions.
9 – Fulfilling that List
Step 9 is to make amends to as many people as we possibly can on our list. this is the 1935 equivalent of setting your karmic scales back in balance.
10 – Continuous Realignment
For the tenth step in treatment towards recovery from alcoholism, we have to be aware of ourselves on a consistent basis. This vigil of monitoring your actions both helps you stay off drink or drugs and helps you stay karmically square with your higher power.
11 – Involves Prayer and Meditation
12 – While the final step is to have a spiritual awakening as a result of the previous steps. Once you have reached this stage, you are able to go back to the AA groups and help other people in your situation to recover from alcoholism.
Here at Help4Addiction we do not care which higher power you follow, and we can see that these original 12 steps are no longer fully relevant to those without religious beliefs. Instead, we will summarise the more modern version of the 12 step program that is commonly utilised by the contemporary rehab clinic. If you do wish to operate using this 12 step treatment, then contact us today, on 0203 955 7700.
The Modern 12 Steps Have Been Adapted from Organisation to Organisation
Although the modern versions of the 12 step AA recovery treatments exist, there are a few common principles that each one shares. We wanted to include these so that we don’t scare away the non-religious. We call them the six fundamentals of the 12 step program as they are condensed.
1 – Admitting you have a problem
Unsurprisingly, the first fundamental is no different from that of the original 12 steps. You need to recognise that your behaviour isn’t normal before you can treat it.
2 – Admitting Greater Powers than You Exist
You do still have to acknowledge that you do not have full and complete control over your life and actions, although it is less focused on the idea of God.
3 – Recognising your Mistakes
Past actions have hurt people, if you are an addict this is a statement of fact. Recognising this is the next fundamental step.
4 – Atonement
Going through those mistakes and asking for forgiveness from those you have hurt.
5 – Healthy Coping Tactics
Now that you are free of the past, you are able to devise healthier coping tactics than substance abuse to help you manage your future life.
6 – Other Addicts
Since you have survived thus far and are on the steady path to a complete recovery, you can now give back to those that help you up. You do this by getting involved with group therapies so that you can guide others through similar experiences to you.
All of these provide a rounded treatment plan that help you, as a former addict, accept and forgive some of your past behaviours. It is this recognition, coupled with helping others to recover from drug or alcohol abuse, that will keep you sober in the future. As you move on with your life, be aware that others will turn to you as a pillar of strength. See this as your opportunity to start tilting those karmic scales the opposite way, so that they are balanced in your favour.
Does it Cost Extra to Complete the 12 Steps During Rehab?
Of course not! You can receive the 12 step treatment plan from your GP at the outset if you want to, and the rehab clinic you choose will have to be one that accommodates it. Otherwise, you do not need any special requirements to take a modern 12 steps program. You can use it to help you get off drink or drugs, or you can use it to help you stay away from substance abuse after you have already recovered… the choice is entirely yours.
We appreciate that not everyone thinks they can afford rehab care, but we would urge you to check again. In England and Wales you have the support of the NHS, which means you receive help towards funding your rehab stint. You can borrow the money as a personal investment and pay it back when you are sober and able to hold down a job. Until then, feel free to browse our article on the costs of rehab to get more information.
If you would like to go into the 12 steps treatment program and you do want to go through with rehab for drugs or alcoholism, then do mention it when you call us. This way, we can ensure that the top picks for rehab clinics near you contain only those with an adapted version of that original 12 step treatment plan. To get started with your recovery today, call 0203 955 7700 for more information. Help4Addiction are eager for your call since every client we treat is another life saved… and that’s why we do what we do in the first place.
