12-Step Rehab
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In 1935, Bill W. and Dr. Bob Smith established Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a network of fellowship groups that support people recovering from addiction. The founders developed a 12-point plan that acted as a blueprint for the road to recovery and published it in 1939 as part of The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Since then, this philosophy has gained speed and become incredibly popular.
At Discovery Place in Nashville, Tennessee, we align our 12-step rehab with the 12-step model as we understand its effectiveness in facilitating long-term recovery.
How Does a 12-Step Rehab Work in Nashville, TN?
Many treatment centers include 12-Step meetings in their recovery program. For some centers, 12-Step rehab is the cornerstone of their treatment experience, carefully combined with other evidence-based treatment methods to offer a cohesive and holistic journey of recovery.
We include 12-Step meetings in our residential recovery programs as it allows clients to benefit from the healing power of mutual aid and spiritual growth from the start of their recovery experience. Therefore, it helps familiarize clients with the structure and content of 12-Step meetings, so they feel more comfortable joining a local group when they leave our treatment center.
Furthermore, 12-Step rehab includes meetings that involve:
- Open and honest reflection
- Listening to the advice and stories of others
- Sharing feelings of acceptance and support
- Emphasizing the healing power of helping one another as each participant continues their journey.
How Effective is a 12-Step Rehab?
Research shows the 12-Step method to be among the most effective treatment approaches for alcohol and drug addiction. For example, a recent scientific review of several studies found that manualized AA programs led to better abstinence rates after 1, 2, and 3 years than other clinical addiction treatment methods.
Additionally, evidence recommends support groups, including 12-Step meetings, for substance users who face barriers to professional treatment. Lastly, a Science Direct study found that participation in 12-Step support groups predicts lower illicit drug and alcohol use among people living with addiction.
What Are the 12 Steps?
For those in recovery, 12-Step rehab serves as a step-by-step guide. According to Alcoholics Anonymous, the 12-Steps are as follows:
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- 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.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Alternatives to the 12-Step Model
The 12-Step program and Alcoholics Anonymous have helped millions of people overcome addiction and maintain sobriety. However, the 12-Step model isn’t for everyone. If an individual is searching for an alternative to the 12-Step programs that draws on the same powers of shared experience and mutual aid but without the spiritual focus, there are several other programs available.
Each associate with its own community of people in addiction recovery. These include:
- Secular Organizations for Sobriety (S.O.S)
- Self-Management and Recovery Training (SMART)
- Women for Sobriety
- Moderation management
Finding a 12-Step Program Near Me
AA and other 12-Step programs aim for their meetings to be as accessible as possible so no person faces unnecessary barriers to addiction recovery. Because of this, 12-Step programs can be found by searching in online directories for meetings in your area. For instance, Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, and other groups all have search mechanisms on their websites.
Additionally, it has become more popular to offer 12-Step meetings through virtual platforms. Discovery Place in Nashville, Tennessee uses the 12-Steps in our rehab program to encourage sustainable sobriety.
12-Step Rehab in Nashville, TN
Without a doubt, the 12 Steps are a tried and true method of addiction treatment. So, let this code of steps help lead you to sobriety. Discovery Place’s 12-Step immersion provides men with a sense of community, purpose, and self-growth.
Additionally, we offer standard and long-term recovery programs to ensure our clients receive the help they need for as long as they need it. For more information on how we fit the twelve steps into our rehab programs or on how to access recovery groups in the Nashville area, give us a call or reach out through our contact form today.