Attending a twelve step meeting for the very first time can be intimidating. At Arrowhead Lodge you will attend meetings with your peers. We believe that attending 12-Step meetings is vital in the recovery process and starts a habit of regular meeting attendance that will be continued after treatment. We support Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous and Al-Anon.
The 12-Step principles comprise the foundation of the Arrowhead Lodge 12 step rehab program. While we offer psychoeducation on the 12-Steps, it is up to the individual to choose this path for their recovery. It is how our founder got sober back in 1994 and how he remains sober today.
For those who have tried 12-Step recovery and failed, we suggest they look at it again with a willingness to at least listen to our stories of personal recovery. Perhaps they had a bad experience, or found they could not accept the concept of a higher power.
Regardless of whether or not one believes 12 step meetings will work for them, we say: “Come with an open mind. Let’s look at why you have an aversion to the 12-Step program and perhaps there is a lack of understanding that we can clarify for you.” Usually when we take this approach, the individual becomes willing to look at this way of life from a different perspective.
Step One is the admission step. We admit we have a problem that we cannot fix on our own, despite countless attempts of trying. We also see how our addiction has caused problems in our personal lives, whether at home, at work, legally, financially or otherwise. This vital step is the cornerstone of recovery. Without it, one’s chances of long-term recovery are low. By fully embracing it, one never has to drink or use again.
Step Two gives us hope that our lives can be better. We see how others in the program have regained their lives by working the steps and we see how they appear to have peace and joy. We want that and have hope that it is possible for us. A power greater than ourselves can be whatever one wants or believes. There is no religious doctrine involved. It is simply a larger power than who we are.
Step Three is where some have difficulty due to the use of the word “God”. The good news is that it says: “God as we understood him.” This means that whatever concept one has will work, and, that concept may change over time. One should not get hung up on the gender used in the step. It was written by men in the late 1930’s in a western culture where the concept of God was masculine. One’s concept of God may be feminine, masculine or neutral, or it may simply be nature, intelligence or otherwise. It matters only that one have a concept of a higher power upon which a miniscule amount of faith may exist.
Steps 4-10 are action steps where one must do something in order to change. It’s not enough to read the steps or think about the steps. One must take action. One may read about a diet and talk about a diet and think about dieting, but unless one takes action to change their diet and do this every day, there will be no change. The same applies to the 12-Steps. One MUST take action, every day, to live according to spiritual principles.
In Step Eleven, one experiences a shift in their thinking and their actions due to the preceding steps. One further engages in a spiritual practice of meditation and prayer to increase the individual’s awareness of whatever they consider God, or a power greater than themselves. This leads one to a spiritual awakening – a new realization about life and one’s participation in life.
Finally, in Step Twelve one’s gratitude from being free from addiction, due to the 12-Steps, creates a desire to share it with other addicts who still suffer. It’s not an evangelizing step. It is simply a way to share one’s experience with other addicts who continue to struggle with their addiction and suffer the consequences of addiction. Sharing how one got sober with one who wants to get sober is how one remains sober. It’s the old Buddhist concept of: “Chop wood, carry water.”
For those who want to stop hurting, we encourage you to call our 12 step rehab for drugs and alcohol in Prescott, AZ so that we can give you hope. We understand because we choose to work these principles ourselves.
