Alcoholism Treatment & 12-Step Recovery

A lot of people wonder about the 12-Step method of recovery, probably because they’re often portrayed in movies and books about addiction and recovering addicts. I’ll try to explain my experience with them a little bit, so you may see how alcoholism treatment saved my life.

I received addiction treatment services through an outpatient drug rehab when I was 29. I just had my first DUI, and I was given the option of attending a state-sponsored outpatient drug rehab in order to reduce my enormous fines. I didn’t think I needed any addiction treatment services, but I also didn’t want to pay $10,000 in court fees, so I entered the outpatient drug rehab program to get alcoholism treatment.

I went to this outpatient drug rehab that gave addiction treatment services on weekends and evenings, so I could go around my work schedule. At first, I thought I would just attend alcoholism treatment to satisfy the courts, and as soon as I could I would start drinking again. However, through the meetings and counseling sessions at this outpatient drug rehab I learned that I did, in fact, abuse alcohol. What’s more, I learned why I abused alcohol and how it had affected my health, my family, and my career.

As the outpatient drug rehab program ended, my counselors started working on relapse prevention and long-term recovery plans. They turned me on to various 12-Step recovery meetings in my area that I could go to for continued support and informal alcoholism treatment. I went to these 12-Step meetings and met some welcoming and supportive friends who helped me through the 12 Steps.

The 12-Step method of recovery is all about accepting that you suffer from the disease of addiction and that—left to your own devices—you will go back to abusing drugs and alcohol. Through peer support and action, the 12 Steps teach you set of techniques and tools to fight your addictions on a daily basis.