What is the 12-step treatment?
Addiction Treatment Program: In the years immediately following the end of US Prohibition in 1933, the United States experienced a massive rise in alcohol abuse and alcoholism. They also saw a similar growth in the number of treatment programs available for alcoholics. Two of these abusers, Bill Wilson and Bob Smith, founded Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935 after deciding that today’s treatments were not providing the kind of help and support alcoholics needed. The development of their 12-step program for alcohol recovery began shortly after the founding of the AA.
Wilson and Smith’s original 12-step model was rooted in their belief that alcoholism was more than just a physical problem. They felt that a more holistic approach was needed, using a form of therapy that also treated the mind and spirit in ways that physical therapy could not manage. Healing the Mind and Soul is what this 12-step therapy is all about.
We use the 12-step treatment whenever appropriate for our clients. We believe this therapy is very beneficial for long-term success as it promotes good personality traits including honesty, compassion, altruism, and openness. We’ve personally experienced the joy of helping countless recovering addicts get their lives back on track with a 12-step model.
How does the 12-step addiction treatment program work
As treatment, the 12-step model relies more on interaction within a group support structure than on individual counseling or medical intervention. While counseling and medical intervention are also part of addiction recovery, the 12 steps participants go through provide a bridge between past behaviors and an addiction-free future.
Wilson and Smith developed the 12 steps based on a number of things they did to beat alcohol. As such, reading the 12 Steps reveals that Wilson and Smith say things like “we confessed”, “we got to a place”, “we made a decision”, and “we are totally prepared” to do “such and such”. According to the American Psychological Association, 12-step therapy is based on the following six fundamentals:
Acknowledging one’s inability to control addictive or compulsive behavior
Recognizing a “higher power” can provide the strength to overcome it
Check the past for mistakes and errors
Make up for past mistakes
Learn and accept a new code of conduct that will govern life
Helping others who are also undergoing recovery from addictive or compulsive behavior.
With these six fundamentals, it’s easy to see that the strength of the 12-step therapy lies in its ability to encourage participants to take responsibility for the past, present, and future. This is an important part of the holistic approach to recovery we use here at the Future Center. A holistic recovery should deal with the whole person, not just the body. Otherwise, unintended thoughts and emotions are likely to lead to a relapse.
In simple terms, the 12-step participants acknowledge that they are solely responsible for past decisions that lead to addictive behavior. they choose to drink; they choose to take drugs; They made a decision to do whatever led to the addiction.
Furthermore, participants acknowledge that they alone hold the key to preventing future relapse. They take steps to reduce future risks and to make up for past mistakes. All this leads to a new way of thinking based on individual responsibility towards oneself, family, community and God.
12 Step only one aspect of recovery
Future Center uses 12-step therapy to treat many types of addictions and compulsions. However, the 12-step treatment is just one aspect of recovery based on a comprehensive model. The 12 steps alone cannot achieve a complete and lasting recovery.
The holistic model recognizes that humans are three-part people consisting of body, mind, and spirit. The one thing the 12-step action doesn’t do is address the physical aspects of addiction. Therefore, before an alcoholic can enter into a 12-step program, he or she must first undergo a medically supervised detox. This is also something that the Future Center provides.
Alcohol detox takes 7 to 10 days; It can be shorter or longer relative to other drugs, depending on its use. At the conclusion of the detox program, we strive to get clients to start the 12-step program as quickly as possible in order to make the most of the mutual accountability and support that the atmosphere of group counseling provides. We then enhance the 12-step treatment with other treatments as appropriate.
Participants in the 12-step programs can also participate in:
Individual Consultation
group counseling
Nutritional therapy and nutrition
Also, exercise therapy
Music and art therapy.
An important advantage of the 12-step treatment is that it does not have to be exclusive. It can be combined with additional treatments according to the needs of each client. Furthermore, the 12-step work can continue long after the client leaves the residential rehabilitation facility We suggest that this is often the case.
Participation after the Residential Future Center (addiction treatment program)
We strongly recommend continuing the 12-step treatment with the aftercare services provided at the conclusion of residential rehabilitation. We firmly believe that maintaining membership in a local 12-step support group is one of the most important things a recovering addict can do to prevent relapse. How long the group member continues treatment is up to him or her. However, it is not unusual to see recovering addicts stick to their 12-step groups for years as a way to help others cope.
Alcoholics Anonymous is one of the most popular support groups that uses the 12-step model of recovery. There are others, too, some using the same software developed by Bill Wilson and Bob Smith in the 1930s. Others use a modified model based on an entirely different set of steps accompanying the traditional twelve steps.
Whether or not the treatment center adheres to the original 12 steps and traditions, the treatment model itself has proven to be effective. Future Center is pleased to be able to offer this option to clients with substance or behavioral addictions. We invite you to contact us to learn more about this treatment, along with information about rehabilitation clinics and treatment options in your local area. If you need treatment for any type of drug abuse or addiction, it can help.
