The twelve-step program was developed to aid in the recovery of those who suffer from addiction. It is a program that was designed to support, help and heal it’s members. The concept was started in 1935 by Alcoholics Anonymous founders William Griffith Wilson and Robert Holbrook Smith. Wilson and Smith, alcoholics themselves, who once belonged to the Protestant “Oxford Group”, took the stories and ideas from group support and formed the first 12-step “fellowship".

These stories, ideas, and concepts were later published in 1939 in a book titled “Alcoholics Anonymous-The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.” Now commonly known as “The Big Book”, this book is still widely used today as a resource for addiction recovery. The 12-step program has since brought about over 200 different fellowships, such as Narcotics Anonymous,  Overeaters Anonymous. Self-Injury, Gambling etc. The steps are often adapted slightly for these other addictions.

The 12-step concept is based on the path of recovery. It contains progressive steps in order to achieve sobriety and well being. The steps are faith based, looking to a higher power for acknowledgement and relinquishment of control. God is mentioned in many of the steps, such as admitting to God the nature of wrongdoings.

Meetings are often held at public locations, such as churches, recreation centers, and community centers, as well as web meetings that are now being held on the internet. The steps take into consideration all of live’s aspects, both the inner battle and the battle with loved ones. The twelve steps (in so many words) involve admitting that the addiction exists, realizing that a higher power must help through the process, taking into account the wrongdoing, making amends with those that have been harmed, and learning through the twelve-step process, living a better life and educating others.

Actual meetings may differ, sometimes personal stories are shared, a guest speaker presents, passages from the “Big Book” are read aloud, or small discussions can be held. Typically a meeting may begin with a prayer then optional introductions are made. After the actual meeting portion, it may end with another prayer, usually the Lord’s Prayer or The Serenity Prayer. It is at this time that the group will hold hands in a circle, to unify the group and show support for one another. Participation in the meeting is exclusively voluntary. It is always up to the individual if they wish to share, or even to introduce themselves. The “anonymous” aspect of the meetings often give participants a sense of security when often most people have fear and anxiety about attending meetings and seeking help.

The only person that I know of to have gone to a 12-step meeting is my mother. The child of an alcoholic parent, my mother and her sister attended Al-Anon, a fellowship for those currently living with alcoholics. She told me her experience was positive. The best part, she said, was that it made her feel like she wasn’t alone, and that there were other children, other families, that were going through what she was going through. But she knew, however, that as much as she was told how to deal with it, and was comforted, she believed that the meetings could not fix things, and cure her mother. My grandmother however, did not ever attend a meeting. After researching the 12-step process and learning how many lives it has saved, I wish she had.