12 Steps | 12 Step Program Illinois | Addiction Treatment Illinois

What Are The 12 Steps?

If you have been researching your recovery options, then you may already have an idea about the 12-step program. This program is a set of principles that greatly helps in your suffering from addiction or alcohol abuse. So what are these 12 steps?

The Important 12 Steps

Back in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous published the original 12 steps to the recovery program as part of the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism, which was also known as The Big Book. Bill Wilson developed this program, and intricately outlines every step of the recovery process. Also, it tells the stories of people who recovered from addiction thanks to the program.

Since then, thousands of programs have used these methods not only for those suffering from drug and alcohol problems but also for people dealing with depression and compulsion. Many groups have also made slight variations to the program depending on the needs of the participants.

Every step of the program is meant to be done to eliminate addictive behaviors and achieve long-term sobriety, wellness, and happiness.

The 12 Step Program

The 12 Step Program features a series of 12 steps that include:

  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. Decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching a 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 a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

What Are the Benefits of the 12 Step Program?

There are many benefits you receive through the 12-step program. First, it enables you to recognize you are facing a problem, and then you can decide whether you need help to overcome it. Second, the program helps you develop a sense of awareness of your harmful behaviors that have contributed to your life choices. It also teaches you positive behaviors that affect your self-control.

Apart from these benefits, the 12 Step Program also does wonders in integrating positive aspects into the lives of those who need it and help them practice them. In time, these positive behaviors can be a part of their everyday life. Since this program forces people to face others facing the same problems, they also learn to care for their peers and develop a much-needed support system.

The Northern Illinois Recovery Center Can Help You Follow the 12 Step Program

Everybody’s journey is different, and the time it takes for people to work through the 12 steps. After all, it’s a highly individualized process. Here at the Northern Illinois Recovery Center, we are committed to helping you break your history of destructive behaviors and achieve long term sobriety through the 12 Step Program. Contact us online or call Northern Illinois Recovery Center today at 855.786.1978 for more information.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

What Are The 12 Steps?

If you have been researching your recovery options, then you may already have an idea about the 12-step program. This program is a set of principles that greatly helps in your suffering from addiction or alcohol abuse. So what are these 12 steps?

The Important 12 Steps

Back in 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous published the original 12 steps to the recovery program as part of the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism, which was also known as The Big Book. Bill Wilson developed this program, and intricately outlines every step of the recovery process. Also, it tells the stories of people who recovered from addiction thanks to the program.

Since then, thousands of programs have used these methods not only for those suffering from drug and alcohol problems but also for people dealing with depression and compulsion. Many groups have also made slight variations to the program depending on the needs of the participants.

Every step of the program is meant to be done to eliminate addictive behaviors and achieve long-term sobriety, wellness, and happiness.

The 12 Step Program

The 12 Step Program features a series of 12 steps that include:

  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. Decided to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
  4. Made a searching a 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 a result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

What Are the Benefits of the 12 Step Program?

There are many benefits you receive through the 12-step program. First, it enables you to recognize you are facing a problem, and then you can decide whether you need help to overcome it. Second, the program helps you develop a sense of awareness of your harmful behaviors that have contributed to your life choices. It also teaches you positive behaviors that affect your self-control.

Apart from these benefits, the 12 Step Program also does wonders in integrating positive aspects into the lives of those who need it and help them practice them. In time, these positive behaviors can be a part of their everyday life. Since this program forces people to face others facing the same problems, they also learn to care for their peers and develop a much-needed support system.

The Northern Illinois Recovery Center Can Help You Follow the 12 Step Program

Everybody’s journey is different, and the time it takes for people to work through the 12 steps. After all, it’s a highly individualized process. Here at the Northern Illinois Recovery Center, we are committed to helping you break your history of destructive behaviors and achieve long term sobriety through the 12 Step Program. Contact us online or call Northern Illinois Recovery Center today at 855.786.1978 for more information.

Table of Contents
Scroll to Top