Twelve-step

A twelve-step program is a term applied to a number of spiritually based groups for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems.

The Twelve Steps are 12 principles and practices originally proposed by Bill Wilson to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism. The Twelve Steps were first published in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. In this book, the Twelve Steps are described as "a program of recovery."

The method was adapted and became the foundation of other twelve-step groups.

Over 5 million people annually participate in different Twelve Step Programs for a variety of addictions and psychological disorders. The programs have been criticized for being "non-medical", having "bad science" in their views and treatment, and for insistence on tying "blind faith" in "God" or “higher power” to treatment. The original twelve-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous with about 60,000 groups, maintains that it is a spiritual program "not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution" including religion. Peer reviewed studies of AA claim a five to 10 percent success rate for newcomers, while AA reports that 68 percent of members were sober for more than a year. In 1951 AA was given an award by the American Public Health Association without any scientific claim to prove it was successful.

Twelve-step methods have been adapted to address a wide range of alcoholism, substance-abuse and dependency problems. Over 200 self-help organizations—often known as fellowships—with a worldwide membership of millions—now employ twelve-step principles for recovery. Narcotics Anonymous was formed by addicts who did not relate to the specifics of alcohol dependency.

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