The 12 Steps of Recovery

A Twelve-step program is a set of guiding principles for recovery from addictive, compulsive, or other behavioral problems, originally developed by the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous ("A.A.") to guide recovery from alcoholism. The "twelve steps" were first published in the 1st edition of Alcoholics Anonymous ("The Big Book") in 1939; more than 25 million copies have been printed in many languages. This method has been adapted as the foundation of other twelve-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Marijuana Anonymous, Crystal Meth Anonymous, Co-Dependents Anonymous and Emotions Anonymous. Mandated court involvement with 12-step fellowships is a controversial practice of some governments; as stated in the Twelve Traditions, Twelve-step fellowships have no opinion as a group on issues other than personal recovery. As summarized by the American Psychological Association, working the Twelve Steps involves the following: