Peteitorial
12 Step Programs
Copyright PsychopeteÓ 2003
All 12 step programs that are available today are patterned after the 12 steps of the program of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), worldwide fellowship of men and women who meet together to attain and maintain sobriety. It originated in 1935 when Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., a surgeon, met in Akron, Ohio, and started to help each other stay sober. From that modest beginning, AA has grown to an estimated 87,000 groups in more than 130 countries, with a total membership of more than 2 million (1998 report).
All men and women who feel they have a drinking problem are welcome to attend any AA meeting. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. Members are anonymous at the public level, and no dues or fees are required; contributions are entirely voluntary. The AA program is one of total abstinence, in which members are encouraged to stay away from one drink, one day at a time. Their sobriety is maintained by sharing their experience, strength, and hope at group meetings, and following the suggested Twelve Steps to recovery. Even isolated alcoholics in remote regions, without access to AA groups, can seek help from the Loners program through the General Service Office in New York City. Intergroup offices in most urban areas provide information on times and places of nearby meetings.
A board of trustees, of whom 7 are nonalcoholics and 14 are AA members, administers the organization's activities in the United States and Canada. Regional delegates vote on matters of general significance at annual conferences; an international convention is held every five years. Alcoholics Anonymous (1939; 3rd edition, 1976), by Bill W. and others, explains how the AA program works and contains the Twelve Steps recovery program.
Higher Power
The premise of AA is that there is a Higher Power (God as we understand him) that is the pivot point for recovery. Each member may name their Higher Power differently - some in religious terms, some in spiritual terms, some in new age terms, etc. - but all encompass the same philosophy.
This philosophy is that, the Higher Power, God as we understand Him, is the essential component of a real recovery program, and that, without this intervention, there is little if no chance for a person to find serenity in their recovery.
One of the precepts that explain the changes undergone in a recovery program come from The Eightfold Path elaborates three broad categories upon which Buddhist teaching is based: morality, meditation, and wisdom. The components of the Eightfold path are: (1) right understanding—that is, understanding of the nature of suffering in the world, (2) right thought (the desire to practice AA principles), (3) right speech (avoidance of lies and slander), (4) right action (shunning extramarital sex, acts of cruelty), practice rigorous honest, and when wrong - promptly admitting it.) (5) right livelihood (refraining from immoral or unsuitable occupations), (6) right moral effort (cultivating a peaceful and good state of mind), (7) right mindfulness (self-awareness), and (8) right concentration (meditation).
AA Meetings are a complex socio-therapeutic environment that is interpreted differently by each member attending. The meetings are general and repetitive with each member understanding the importance of each experience as their own personal experience. The group meeting becomes and individual experience, with each member supportive of the group and each member. The experiences may be interpreted as:
Individual Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy can be an effective treatment for many mental illnesses. Unlike drug therapy, psychotherapy produces no physical side effects, although it can cause psychological damage when improperly administered. On the other hand, psychotherapy may take longer to produce benefits.
Psychotherapy encompasses a wide range of techniques and practices. Some forms of psychotherapy, such as psychodynamic therapy and humanistic therapy, focus on helping people understand the internal motivations for their problematic behavior. Other forms of therapy, such as behavioral therapy and cognitive therapy, focus on the behavior itself and teach people skills to correct it.
Psychodynamic therapy is one of the most common forms of psychotherapy. The therapy focuses on a person’s past experiences as a source of internal, unconscious conflicts and tries to help the person resolve those conflicts
Both humanistic therapy and existential therapy treat mental illnesses by helping people achieve personal growth and attain meaning in life. The best-known humanistic therapy is client-centered therapy, developed by Carl Rogers in the 1950s. In this technique, the therapy provides no advice but restates the observations and insights of the client or participants (the persons in recovery) in nonjudgmental terms. They help the person to change patterns of abnormal behavior by applying established principles of conditioning and learning. Behavioral therapy has proven effective in the treatment of phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other disorders.
The goal of cognitive therapy is to identify patterns of irrational thinking that cause a person to behave abnormally. The therapy teaches skills that enable the person to recognize the irrationality of the thoughts. The person eventually learns to perceive people, situations, and himself or herself in a more realistic way and develops improved problem solving and coping skills. Psychotherapists use cognitive therapy to treat depression, panic disorder, and some personality disorders.
Rehabilitation programs assist people with severe dependency illnesses in learning independent living skills and in obtaining community services. Persons may teach them personal hygiene skills, home cleaning and maintenance, meal preparation, social skills, and employment skills. In addition, case managers or social workers may help people with mental illnesses obtain employment, medical care, housing, education, and social services. Some intensive rehabilitation programs strive to provide active follow-up and social support to prevent hospitalization.
Group Therapies
In group therapy, a number of people gather together to discuss problems under the guidance of a Meeting Chairperson. By sharing their feelings and experiences with others, group members learn their problems are not unique, receive emotional support, and learn ways to cope with their problems.
