However, most 12-step programs, including those for people addicted to drugs, encourage new members to commit to those 90 meetings in 90 days. You need that commitment and focus as you fight for sobriety during the most difficult time of your recovery, when you are most vulnerable to relapse. It's impossible to identify a perfect answer to this question. Some people complete all the steps in a month or two.
Others spend several years going through the process. In addition, some choose to repeat the steps over and over again at different points and with several sponsors. The 12 Steps were created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous to establish guidelines for overcoming an alcohol addiction. The program was successful enough in its early years for other addiction support groups to adapt the steps to their specific substance or addictive behavior.
People who attend a 12-step meeting are in all stages of sobriety, some just a few days, others many years. The program is designed to be a continuous and repetitive process that helps strengthen recovery. Many people continue to participate in meetings after the steps are finished because it helps them stay focused on sobriety. The process through recovery is very enlightening and also very specific to the individual.
So, even though there are steps and expectations set throughout the recovery process, it's all largely up to you. There is no set requirement for how long it should take to complete the 12 steps of the 12-step program. However, the initial 30 days of recovery are a prime period for the focus and vision created by the 12 steps. Today, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Heroin Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Sexaholics Anonymous and Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous offer a twelve-step approach to recovery based on the success of the original AA model.
Bob, as a community of alcoholics working together to overcome their drinking problems, the 12 steps acted as a set of guidelines for spiritual and character development, a recovery plan. Many treatment centers find that the use of evidence-based behavioral therapy combined with the 12-step program offers the best opportunity for people to maintain long-term sobriety. While 12-step programs aren't the right tool for everyone, they tend to help those struggling with substance abuse problems gain new coping skills, feel the support and acceptance of a loving community, transition to sobriety, and foster long-term recovery from addiction. If you want to learn more about the 12 steps and how to apply them to make them work for you, Jorge is your boy.
In addition, several non-religious 12-step groups have modified the steps to adapt them to a secular model that can help those who are agnostics or atheists practice the program without feeling obligated to adhere to a religion they don't believe in. Sometimes people need a break between steps, sometimes they need to spend more time in one step than another, some people never stop working on the 12 steps because they become part of life. Although the 12 steps are based on spiritual principles, many non-religious people have found the program immensely useful. Members encourage each other to share their feelings and experiences with addiction as they work through each step of the program.
The amount of time you spend taking one step versus another can vary greatly, just as your addiction and recovery can vary greatly from that of another. Whether you're new to recovery or you've been sober for several years, many people work through the 12 steps as part of their healing from drug or alcohol addiction. Because recovery is a lifelong process, there is no wrong way to approach the 12 steps, as the participant tries to figure out what works best for their individual needs. Others have put forward similar ideas to integrate the basic ideas of the 12 steps into a cultural framework that makes sense to members of that culture.
Non-Christians have modified the steps to refer to their specific religious or spiritual practice as a way to connect more with the structure of the 12-step program. A 12-step program is a peer-based mutual aid program for alcoholism, drug abuse, and other addictive and dysfunctional behaviors. . .
