How does a 12 step program work?
If you never have had any kind of exposure to a 12-step group, what I would want people to know is, it is a self-sustaining fellowship where no one has to give their name, no one has to sign any papers, no one has to give up any kind of personal information. All they really need to have is a sincere desire to make a change. If that change has to do with alcohol, they'd go to Alcoholics Anonymous, if it has to do with sexual addiction, they'd go to any of the number of sexual addiction groups. And they would go to meetings. These meetings happen every day at all different hours, and they listen to other people's experiences at the same time that they apply these 12 steps to their own life as a way to bring about change and as a way to create a different foundation in their life. The groups not only provide a mirror because of the stories of other people, but they also provide support which is always very important when a person is going through making a major change in their life. And this is a major change. We're talking about the addictive behavior that becomes your primary relationship, and you are willing to forsake all other relationships in order to have that time either with your behavior or with your drug of choice. And that's a very significant thing to give up, and you need a lot of support in the process.
