The 12 Steps: Building the Evidence Base: The Latest Research Initiatives Seek Insight into How Spirituality Affects Recovery

Slaymaker, Valerie, Addiction Professional

Practicing the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has a profound and positive impact on abstinence from substances and on life functioning. These benefits occur whether the Steps are worked as part of mutual-help group attendance or are facilitated within the context of professionally delivered treatment (e.g., Minnesota Model/12-Step facilitation). (1), (2), (3) In recent years, scientists have been studying the mechanisms by which the 12-Step philosophy exerts its effects. Studies have shown that the approach works by increasing social networks in support of abstinence and by increasing an individual's self-efficacy, or confidence in maintaining sobriety. (4), (5), (6), (7) These factors, in turn, lead to improved health and substance use outcomes.

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There is another angle from which to examine the impact of the 12 Steps, however, and that angle is spirituality. It is a long-recognized paradox in human experience that when a situation is most bleak, the best opportunity for a spiritual awakening might arise. Bill W. and Dr. Bob, AA's founders, recognized early on that drug and alcohol addiction often bring a person to openness to spiritual experience. As a result, spirituality is a core component of AA's 12-Step philosophy. Spiritual principles include recognition of, willingness to trust, and commitment to maintain "conscious contact" with a power greater than oneself. (8)

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Spirituality is a difficult concept to study scientifically. Ask 10 people how they define spirituality and you will receive 10 different answers. To some, spirituality implies a connection with the metaphysical, whether that is a traditional concept of God …

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Publication information: Article title: The 12 Steps: Building the Evidence Base: The Latest Research Initiatives Seek Insight into How Spirituality Affects Recovery. Contributors: Slaymaker, Valerie - Author. Magazine title: Addiction Professional. Volume: 7. Issue: 3 Publication date: May-June 2009. Page number: 16+. © 2008 Vendome Group LLC. COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale Group.

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