There are many fans and detractors of the 12 Steps to recovery. I will give you the reasons I believe in the 12 Steps and share some of my experiences in working the steps in my life the last few years.
I am a Christian and happen to believe that the Bible is the word of God. On that foundation I believe that the bible provides the answers to many of the issues man struggles with. I did not say all but rather many because there are some things that mortal man will never understand and some things that we surely will misinterpret – we are fallible – I am proof of that….
In doing some research for this article it was clear to me that the 12 Step program had it’s genesis from the bible and Christianity. There are many accounts that try to explain the exact time of the 12 Step and Alcoholics Anonymous’ beginnings. I will share one account that is very consistent with other accounts:
Historians have traced the genesis of the 12 step programs in Alcoholics Anonymous back to the Oxford Group, an evangelistic movement from the early 1900s. Dr. Frank Buchman, a Lutheran minister from Pennsylvania Dutch heritage, was the founder of the Oxford Group. Dr. Buchman experienced a spiritual transformation in 1908 as he visited a small church in Cumberland. Envisioning the suffering face of the crucified Christ, he realized how his resentments had separated himself from God’s unconditional love. He surrendered his will and willfulness to God and began to share his experience with others. His work and following grew, with groups eventually at Oxford, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, Williams, Smith and Vassar. Outreach was conducted through house meetings and members were encouraged to find and work with people who suffered from problems similar to their own. Bill Wilson, one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, traced his journey to sobriety through the Oxford Group. After being visited by an old friend, Ebby Thatcher, who was restored to sobriety through the Oxford Group, Bill W. was told the principles of the Oxford Group. He described his conversion experience from that night 20 years after the event in Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age: A Brief History of A.A., p. 63:’” In the subsequent development of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson eventually distanced himself from the Oxford Group in order to reach out to Catholics and other groups who were uncomfortable with the evangelical emphasis. However, many of the traditions of the Oxford Group continue in the A.A. approach and the Scriptures remain the foundation for recovery for many of those in A.A. and other 12 Step groups.
Another big reason for my belief in the 12 step program is that it is not just an alcohol and drug addiction program. It transcends the issues we struggle with. When I went through the 12 step program for the first time I had a hard time believing I had much in common with the addicts and alcoholics in my step study. What I learned in the group is that my issues with anger, codependency, control, and being an adult child of an alcoholic (I only have a few problems ;>}) is only a symptom to deeper issues. The way I “act out” – anger, control, codependency has it’s roots from many of the exact same things that cause someone to drink, gamble, get high, overeat, pursue sex with strangers, etc. The 12 Steps cause you to take a real deep and up close look at what makes you the way you are.
The next reason is that the steps proceed in a logical fashion and are very thorough. Each step builds upon the previous steps. For instance, you must come out of denial to believe that your life is a mess and you need help. You must first come to grips about what you have done and who has harmed you before you can make amends. And finally you can’t give something away you never experienced before.
There is a built in accountability that grows naturally as well as by design in the 12 Steps. I have been involved in several Christian accountability groups, bible discussion groups, and small groups that spent time together. In my experience the issues that hinder groups like these are that:
1) There is a tendency for these groups to become more focused on being social. Conversations about the latest news, sports, hobbies, stock market, the economy etc. become the norm and real accountability gets squeezed out
2) There are ways to hide out in a group like that. There always seems to be a few people who never share what is really going on or who are very shallow in what they share.
3) There can be an agenda in what the leader is focused on that has nothing to do with what you are struggling with.
4) There are typically a couple of strong personalities or really needy people who dominate these groups; again leaving others wanting for getting their needs met.
In a 12 Step program there is a structured format that allows all participants to do the same work at the pace that fits each person’s needs. There are accountability partners and sponsors to work individually with each other in order to address individual needs; there is an expectation and a desire for each participant to be responsible for their own recovery. And everyone is there because they are willing to be there in order to work on what has become very serious issue in their life. Typically it’s an issue that has caused damage in important relationships and self worth. Consequently there is a real clear focus on why each person is attending.
Here are the 12 Steps and their Biblical comparisons as used in the Celebrate Recovery program I attend:
Step 1
We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Romans 7:18
Step2
We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose. Philippians 2:13
Step3
We made a decision to turn our wills and our lives over to the care of God.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. Romans 12:1
Step 4
We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD. Lamentations 3:40
Step 5
We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16
Step 6
We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. James 4:10
Step 7
Humbly asked Him to remove all our shortcomings.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1John 1:9
Step 8
We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:31
Step 9
We made direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
Matthew 5:23-24
Step 10
We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12
Step 11
We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and power to carry that out.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Colossians 3:16
Step 12
Having had a spiritual experience as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Galatians 6:1
