• Module 1 - Attitudes
  • Introduction
  • The Function of Attitudes
  • Opportunites for Discussion
    • Ambivalence
    • Faith Tradition
    • Youth Experiences
    • Case Study
    • Final Reflection
• Module 2 - Awareness
  • Introduction
  • General Awareness Information
  • Salient Features
  • Stages of Alcoholism
  • Physiological Impact
  • Other Options
  • Handouts
• Module 3 - Assimilation
  • Introduction
  • Roles of Religious Leaders
  • Codependency
  • Class Activity
  • Case Study
  • Handouts
• Module 4 - Action
  • Introduction
  • General Considerations
  • "The Twelve Steps" Information
  • Factors
  • Phases
  • Additional Possibilities
  • Handouts

MODULE IV: Action

Factors that Contribute to the Success of the

Twelve-Step Program

 

Competency 8 - Be familiar with and utilize available community resources to ensure a continuum of care for the:
Addicted person
Family system
Affected children

Competency 9 - Have a general knowledge of and, where possible, exposure to:
The Twelve-Step programs – A.A., NA, Al-Anon, Nar-Anon, Alateen, ACOA, etc.
Other groups

Competency 11 - Be able to shape, form, and educate a caring congregation that welcomes and supports persons and families affected by alcohol and other drug dependence.

Competency 12 - Be aware of how prevention strategies can benefit the larger community.

Gleaned and garnered from observance of this recovery approach, the following assertions are lifted up for consideration and discussion.

1. The significance of identification, that is, one alcoholic relating to another. A connection is made with another person who has had similar experiences. A level of trust develops quickly between the visitor and the one being visited.
   
   
2. Alcoholics Anonymous recognizes that alcoholism is a disease and thereby eliminates the moralistic attitude and approach. This way of framing the situation aids in reducing fear, guilt and the stigma and shame.
   
   
3. There is no diagnosing or advice giving in this group. It is important for each person to tell her/his story without the prospect of judgment, giving advice or telling the person what to do. Each person shares what it was like, what happened and what it is like now.
   
   
4. People in Twelve-Step groups exercise patience in dealing with someone who is new to the group. While those seasoned in recovery recognize the mind set, namely the "rationalizing, minimizing and trivializing," their intent is to establish a connection and be supportive which takes immense patience.
   
   
5. Crucial to the success of a person staying sober is to have a seasoned sponsor (or sponsors) available for consultation, questions and for sharing experiences. Sponsors can employ "tough love" or "telling the truth in love," so as to guide the person in the recovery process.
   
   
6. The absolute necessity of total honesty about one's life, use, behavior, attitudes and actions is a rather audacious claim made by the authors of Alcoholics Anonymous. "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest (emphasis added) with themselves."¹
   
   
7. The Twelve-Step program works because it provides acceptance for the alcoholic, as opposed to rejection. Acceptance becomes the antidote for the stigma and subsequent shame that the alcoholic feels.
   
   
8. The participants in the Twelve-Step program provide a new social environment for the alcoholic. The person develops connections with an abstinent peer group and the power of the group assists the person in having supportive and caring comrades who can teach the person how to live and have a good time without alcohol.
   
   
9. Group members and sponsors are perpetually supportive and available for anyone who is in need at any time of the day or night. It is comforting to know that someone who cares is available.
   
   
10. The power of freedom in shaping a spirituality that meets the needs of the person without restrictions or reservations. Twelve-Step material indicates that each person has a "God" of her/his own understanding. It is at this point that the spirituality of Twelve-Step programs differs most from existing religions. There are no creeds, doctrines, prescribed rites or rituals that people must subscribe to in order to belong. There is a permissiveness that appeals to the alcoholic who has longed for freedom not only from the addiction, but freedom to embrace life in its totality.

Students could profit from breaking up into small groups to discuss the format of the Twelve-Step program. Questions from discussion might include:

1. What do you find most attractive about this approach?
   
   
2. Why do you think that this approach has experienced such success with alcoholics and other addicts?
   
   
3. From your perspective, how do you see the difference between religion and spirituality? Is this a necessary dichotomy?
   
   
4. From your theological perspective, what can you embrace about this approach relative to its value as a method for healing and hope?
   
   
5. What, if any, reservations do you harbor about the process? Recall that the sole purpose of Twelve-Step groups are to assist people in getting sober and remaining sober.
   

Members of the household and others who have a close relationship to the addict likewise subscribe to these steps in their own recovery programs. Thus the Twelve-Steps are NOT only for those who are afflicted with addiction, but those who are affected as well. As a religious leader, it is important to know that many times those who are affected can be more resistant to the Twelve-Step program than those who are afflicted with the addiction. Everyone who has been involved needs to recover and the Twelve-Step program has proven itself effective over the years since its inception.

Depending upon your class, it may very well be that this section becomes a part of what is presented as being at the core of their ministry. You may wish to factor this in as you have time or at least provide a handout detailing the process of listening to the fifth step.

People who are in recovery and working their program will ultimately come to Steps 4 and 5 in the process. (Refer to Handout 3 for reviewing the content of these steps.) Twelve-Step groups suggest that this process not be done with members of the household or with friends, but rather with a religious leader. A religious leader is bound by the oath of confidentiality not to disclose the content of what is shared in the fifth step. While Step 5 is not technically confession in the sense that many religious traditions practice that ritual, it is an opportunity to cleanse Oneself of guilt as well as shame associated with selfish attitudes and hurtful behavior perpetrated while using. The function of Step 4 is to be fearless in the moral inventory of one's life, admitting that these are the ways in which I have harmed others. Step 5 then is to admit to a Higher Power, Oneself and another human being the exact nature of my wrongs.

Intrinsic to this step is not only admission of the deeds that were done that harmed others, but also the attitude that prompted such actions. Dispositions such as resentment, envy, selfishness, hostility, greed, hatred and vindictiveness provide the basis for subsequent actions that harm and hurt others. Those who listen to fifth steps are encouraged to discern themes that may emerge from the person sharing the story. The function of the religious leader is to listen! This is why this ministry is referred to as listening to or hearing fifth steps. This is not a time for counseling or therapy! This should never be treated as a time to lecture, set straight or proselytize the person to adopt one's own religious tradition. The fifth step is for the benefit of the alcoholic, not as a time controlled by the religious leader. It should be considered as a privilege to spend this sacred time with a person who is sharing her or his fifth step.

It often happens that someone doing a fifth step will choose a person other than her or his own religious leader. What is shared in the course of a fifth step is often very personal, intimate and revealing of the past. Selecting a person who the addict does not know and likely will not see again sometimes promotes greater honesty for the occasion. Religious leaders who share a common concern for the members of their respective faith communities, often will recommend other religious leaders in the area for this ministry of a listening presence. It is important that the religious leader not feel offended by a member of the community seeking out someone other than her or his own religious leader for this purpose.

1. Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: A.A. World Services, Inc. rev. 2001, 58.

Module Home • Introduction • General Considerations • Spirituality and the Twelve Steps • Factors that Contribute to the Success of the
Twelve Step Program • Phases of the Fifth Step Ministry • Additional Module of Possibilities

 

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