In the literature of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.), there's a story of a severe alcoholic named Roland who, in his desperation, traveled to Swisserland in search of a cure from pioneering psychiatrist Carl Jung. Roland stayed with Jung for a year and was sober during that time. But upon returning to the United States, he quickly lost his sobriety and again found himself in the depths of his addiction.
Desperate, he returned to Jung in the hope of once again finding a cure. To his great dismay, Jung said he couldnít help him. Jung explained that the only solution he knew of for alcoholism was what he called "a vital spiritual experience."
Jung sent Roland to a Christian Evangelical group in Oxford, England, called The Oxford Group. The Oxford Group had Eight Steps for spiritual awakening. Roland found lasting sobriety through that process.
This was the genesis of what would later become the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Ironically, only the first of the Twelve Steps mentions alcohol. The rest of the Steps are a guide to awakening your spiritual life and living in such a way as to set aside the pull of addiction. In fact, a recent article in the journal "Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research" found that the Twelve Steps increase spirituality and that a spiritual awakening plays a major role in successful recovery from alcoholism.
Since the inception of A.A. in 1935, Twelve Step Programs have grown to address all manor of maladies, including drug addiction, codependence, sexual compulsion, compulsive eating and compulsive gambling, to name but a few. In fact there are about 300 different Twelve Step Groups.
The essence of the Twelve Step approach is that people with the same affliction are in it together in groups they call meetings. And as a group they can support each other on the Spiritual path of recovery. Equally important is for individuals to actually work through the Twelve Steps with a mentor from the group ñ known as a sponsor.
The first group to spin off from Alcoholics Anonymous was Alanon, which used the Twelve Steps as a way to aid families and friends of alcoholics. Here's a partial list of other Twelve Step groups.
I've seen people bring about profound changes in their lives as a result of participating in Twelve Step Groups. Joining a Twelve Step group is easy. All you have to do is go to one. Thereís no fee, though they pass a basket. You donít have to say anything, though you can if you want to. Nobody will ask you for anything. And the folks in these meetings are extremely friendly.
The general rule of thumb of Twelve Step meetings is to check out half-a-dozen different ones. They all have a different style and feel. Then decide whether itís for you.
You can find a partial list of local Twelve Step meetings on my Web site.
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