AA, GA and NA are examples of organisations that use 12 step ideology to treat addiction with much success. However, there are many who are put off the support system because of the seemingly religious association – through the idea that a recovering addict needs to surrender him or herself to a higher power that is GOD.
As an addiction counsellor I do not work directly with the 12 steps but I do appreciate the support they offer to many people including some of those I work with. The 12 steps are a spiritual treatment for addiction that have been likened to a personality transformation. This is not surprising given that psychoanalyst Carl Jung was influential in the development of the 12 steps. He proposed that alcoholism would need to be treated with a power equal to the power of “spiritus” or alcohol.
The 12 steps are closely aligned with Jung’s description of how full human development can occur, a process he called “Individuation.” This involves awareness of how human behaviour involves both conscious and unconscious elements. If we can accept that we are not fully aware of all that is influencing our behaviour, then there can be space to learn about our unconscious elements through personal reflection, therapy, therapy groups, artwork, writing, dreams and so on.
The 12 step programme offers an individual the opportunity to understand themselves at greater depth. It requires that the person accept themselves as an entity with conscious and unconscious aspects of behaviour so that they may learn more about their unconscious nature and how it influences their life. Unconscious nature can be described as our “higher power” because when we accept its existence we can learn to let go of only conscious self or ego and allow space for fuller and broader understanding of who we are. In this way, the 12 steps represents a personality transformation opportunity for those with compelling addictions.
In this way, the 12 steps are not so different from other therapeutic approaches. The goal of therapy is to help a person to feel better about themselves and often this involves understanding more about unconscious as well as conscious aspects of behaviour. Therapists are trained to be able to elicit unconscious elements of behaviour and they do this in many different ways which is why you will note the vast description of therapy types around such as Gestalt, Jungian, Person-Centred, Transactional Analysis, Psychodynamic and so on…Whichever style you choose to work with, your therapist will be focused upon you, how to support you and how to enhance your personal development. Overall, therapy is an opportunity for a person to grow beyond where they are currently in their life.
If you are struggling to control an addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling or eating for example, then joining a 12 step programme can be very beneficial. You will find a list of local meetings in Brighton and Hove for Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Gamblers Anonymous (GA), Eating Disorders Anonymous (EDA) and others, online.
In my experience, some people benefit from working with an individual therapist alongside going to 12 step meetings. This is another option for support. Only you can decide what feels best for you.
Feeling out of control with an addiction can be the beginning of a new way of living if you choose to believe that you don’t fully know yourself, i.e. that there are unconscious elements to your behaviour that you don’t fully understand, yet.