Comments on: A Question About the 12 Step Program http://www.spiritualriver.com/a-question-about-the-12-step-program/ Non-traditional recovery from addiction Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:09:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Angelahttp://www.spiritualriver.com/a-question-about-the-12-step-program/comment-page-1/#comment-27811 Angela Tue, 12 May 2009 10:29:03 +0000 http://www.spiritualriver.com/?p=821#comment-27811 I have been reading your blog for almost a year now. Thank you for all your insight and help I find it extremely encouraging to often read that the traditional 12 step approach is not the ONE AND ONLY path to recovery. I am a part of AA and NA, I attend meeings regularly, have worked the steps to the best of my ability, have had several sponsors (but was never one to be in daily contact with any of them. I'm clean and sober, my life is much, much better but sometimes I feel like I'm not working a program enough because I am not a BB thumper or regular reader thereof! I often see all the things I don't do that others seem to be doing which makes me feel like I'm "doing it wrong". Good nutrition played a huge part of my very early recovery as did meetings every day. I am three years down the road, still have a strong tendency to do things my way - don't like conforming! Anyway, your take on things encourages me and comforts me...I am recovering. As I said before, TODAY, I am clean and sober and my life is very much better than it used to be! Thank you for being part of my recovery. God bless, Angela I have been reading your blog for almost a year now. Thank you for all your insight and help I find it extremely encouraging to often read that the traditional 12 step approach is not the ONE AND ONLY path to recovery. I am a part of AA and NA, I attend meeings regularly, have worked the steps to the best of my ability, have had several sponsors (but was never one to be in daily contact with any of them. I’m clean and sober, my life is much, much better but sometimes I feel like I’m not working a program enough because I am not a BB thumper or regular reader thereof! I often see all the things I don’t do that others seem to be doing which makes me feel like I’m “doing it wrong”. Good nutrition played a huge part of my very early recovery as did meetings every day. I am three years down the road, still have a strong tendency to do things my way – don’t like conforming! Anyway, your take on things encourages me and comforts me…I am recovering. As I said before, TODAY, I am clean and sober and my life is very much better than it used to be! Thank you for being part of my recovery. God bless, Angela

]]> By: Patrickhttp://www.spiritualriver.com/a-question-about-the-12-step-program/comment-page-1/#comment-27805 Patrick Tue, 12 May 2009 00:14:13 +0000 http://www.spiritualriver.com/?p=821#comment-27805 Thanks for all your comments. I tried to present a balanced view of the steps...they can be very helpful to some, but at the same time, they might limit others in some ways, and of course they seem to completely fail for certain people. Just want to stay open to other possibilities for recovery.... Thanks for all your comments. I tried to present a balanced view of the steps…they can be very helpful to some, but at the same time, they might limit others in some ways, and of course they seem to completely fail for certain people. Just want to stay open to other possibilities for recovery….

]]> By: Georgehttp://www.spiritualriver.com/a-question-about-the-12-step-program/comment-page-1/#comment-27803 George Mon, 11 May 2009 23:35:21 +0000 http://www.spiritualriver.com/?p=821#comment-27803 I really enjoyed your piece. My sponsor opened my eyes to viewing the 12 steps not only as something to work through in a formal way, but also as a way of daily life. I try to "work the steps" in the way I react (or don't react) to situations and to others every day. I have found that I can run almost any problem I have through the prism of at least one of the steps to help me work through it (I am finding that the 10th step seems to come up a lot!). That works for me anyway. Thanks for your insights. I find them very helpful. I really enjoyed your piece.

My sponsor opened my eyes to viewing the 12 steps not only as something to work through in a formal way, but also as a way of daily life. I try to “work the steps” in the way I react (or don’t react) to situations and to others every day. I have found that I can run almost any problem I have through the prism of at least one of the steps to help me work through it (I am finding that the 10th step seems to come up a lot!). That works for me anyway.

Thanks for your insights. I find them very helpful.

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