Whether you're working on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Al-Anon, or any other program, probably the most difficult of all steps is step 5.This is the one that asks us to admit our mistakes and to do so in the face of our higher power and another person. For many Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) participants, step 8 is the most difficult. That's because it's the point in the Alcoholics Anonymous steps where you make a list of people you've caused harm to because of your alcohol consumption. But step 2 of AA can be just as difficult.
Addiction is a challenging and isolating experience that often leads many people to destroy their relationships with their friends and family. Working on a 12-step addiction recovery program helps people reflect on their actions, heal their relationships, and build a strong foundation for a sober future. An Alcoholics Anonymous program is a popular option for people who want to start a free 12-step program to help them progress in their recovery process. It is true that the 12 steps have been drafted in such a way as to suggest a certain amount of freedom in which one ultimately surrenders to God (or “higher power); but AA is a self-identified Christian organization with a significant part of its methodology rooted in prayer.
Of course, those don't take into account the large number of alcoholics who never make it past their first year of meetings and subsequently never complete the 12 steps (the definition of success, according to AA standards). The best argument for the effectiveness of the 12 steps is the millions of alcoholics and addicts who have been able to achieve sobriety by working on them. Many rehabilitation programs and therapy methods are inspired by the style and content of AA treatment programs. Another reason that the first step of recovering from addiction is so difficult is because the addict knows that their life is about to change dramatically.
He wrote and published a book that explained the core values and methodology of Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve Step Programs. All of whom follow a similar twelve-step program to aid in the recovery of those suffering from their addictions. Although court-ordered participation in 12-step programs would eventually be considered unconstitutional (thanks to elements such as Step Six), Dodes states that “judges still refer people to AA as part of sentencing or as a condition of probation. But it's the sixth step in the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, the prototype of 12-step facilitation (TSF), the almost universally accepted standard for addiction recovery in the United States today.
