Many consider a 12 Step recovery program to be the Holy Grail of substance abuse recovery. Others don’t exactly know how it works, but they concede that the program helps people. Have you been thinking about rehab and want to take advantage of the 12 Step setup? If so, what do you need to know today?

Support is at the Heart of a 12 Step Recovery Program

The founders of Alcoholics Anonymous formulated a collection of 12 steps that guide people from substance abuse to sobriety. The steps include an admission of powerlessness when facing addiction and the understanding that a higher power can help. It’s not necessary to be a religious person to undergo rehab with a 12 Step recovery program. All it takes is the decision to turn your life around and enlist a higher power’s help.

The program encourages followers to take a close look at themselves and admit their flaws. Participants express a readiness to change and make a list of people with whom they need to make amends. You should pursue this list and do your best to right wrongs when possible. Going forward, you agree to acknowledge immediately when you err or stray from your path.

Another major part of a 12 Step recovery program is the willingness to meditate and pray to make personal growth possible. Moreover, as you get well and proceed with recovery, you work with others who are starting out on the path to sobriety. For this reason, you see quite a few people with an addiction background become counselors, volunteers or mentors. The program is non-political and does not support external causes so it can remain true to its focus and mission.

Why the Program Works

The program promotes sobriety through abstinence. Experts agree that addiction is a chronic, progressive brain disease that’s impossible to cure. But because you can go into remission through ending your use of substances, you can live a sober life. Because a relapse is as possible as with other chronic diseases, the 12 step meetings help you focus on not using.

How Rehab Facilities Incorporate a 12 Step Recovery Program

The best application of a 12 Step approach is against the backdrop of an inpatient treatment setting. Participation in recovery meetings as a residential client or as a partial hospitalization participant may be required. If needed, an outpatient treatment program may work if you and your counselor agree on its efficacy. That said, the 12 step program cannot stand alone but should be part of a larger set of evidence-based modalities such as:

• One-on-one talk therapy to explore your feelings, thoughts, and behavioral patterns
• Group therapy sessions that strengthen interpersonal skills and build self-esteem
• Anger management sessions, when needed, to assist with the dismantling of trigger impulses
• Trauma therapy when unresolved issues from the past are determining your actions in the present
• Dual diagnosis treatment for clients who present with a mental health challenge in addition to a substance abuse problem

By providing you clinical assistance as well as access to 12 Step recovery program meetings, you tackle the condition from different angles. In so doing, you learn more about your reasons for using and find out how to stop the dangerous trend. Also, you work through feelings of guilt and grief that so many recovering substance abusers deal with. This process, in turn, minimizes the odds of a relapse.

Looking ahead, remember that this 12 Step approach continues even when your stay at the facility ends. By getting into the habit of expressing your thoughts and feelings at these meetings during rehab, you can transfer that comfort to continuing your recovery at 12 step meetings near your home. Honing your willingness to accept input from participants further provides you with the tools needed to avoid relapse. While there’s no magic in a 12 Step recovery program, its model works well for a broad range of participants.

Find Out How the 12 Steps Could Transform Your Life Today

If you’ve been suffering because of addiction, inpatient rehab in Florida could help turn your life around. Don’t let drugs or alcohol rob you of the quality of life that could be yours. At Beaches Recovery, expert therapists partner with you in your resolve to stop using and get well. Dial 866.605.0532 now for immediate assistance.