Alcohol & Drug Rehabilitation Center
Twelve-Step programs remain a commonly recommended and used treatment modality for various types of addiction.
The basic premise of the 12-Step model is that people can help one another achieve and maintain abstinence from the substances or behaviors to which they are addicted. They can do this through meetings in which they share their experiences with one another and support each other in the ongoing effort of maintaining abstinence.
The 12-Step philosophy pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous is used by about 74 percent of treatment centers. The basic premise of this model is that people can help one another achieve and maintain abstinence from substances of abuse, but that healing cannot come about unless people with addictions surrender to a higher power. The 12-Step movement can be a force for good for many people, but some struggle with the religious basis of the program. Most addiction treatment programs offer alternatives to 12-Step methodology for those who are opposed to the idea of a higher power.