Blogs
Feb 15, 2025
How to Begin 12-step Recovery?
By Greg F.
If drugs and/or alcohol are having a negative impact on your life, you can start on a recovery journey at any time. It all begins with willingness. Ask yourself: Have I had enough pain?
If the answer is yes, then you should consider 12-step recovery.The best way to start is by attending a 12-step meeting near you, or online. You can do a google search for Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, or other 12–step fellowships to discover meeting locations and times.
Meetings last one hour. Bigger cities have meetings at all hours. The number of meetings in smaller cities and towns is scaled back. Whatever may be the case for where you live, go and check it out for yourself.
As a member of Alcoholics Anonymous, I’ve heard more than a few people share their recovery “origin stories.” They typically include stories about what is was like when they were at their worst. Here are some examples:
“I got arrested and went to drug court.”
“I almost died of liver failure.”
“I got a DUI.”
“I lost my spouse and kids.”
“I lost my job.”
“I overdosed and wound up in treatment.”
“I got sick and tired of being sick and tired.”
“I was depressed and hopeless.”
Each of these experiences, or similar ones, can be related to by the large amount of people in recovery. Many people will tell you that they are the lucky ones to have found recovery. The ones sharing their stories are the ones who’ve survived and found a new way of life.
They share their story today to help other addicts and alcoholics recover, which also helps them stay sober.
I was of the “depressed and hopeless” variety. I’ll never forget what a gentleman said to me at one of my first meetings: “Hey man, keep your head up. No one comes in on a win streak.”
Since then, I’ve learned that he was right. No one comes in on a win streak. Personally, I was in financial trouble, relationship trouble, health trouble, and spiritual trouble all at once. My problems with alcohol and cocaine had made me miserable and all but killed me.
12–step programs are “programs of attraction.” That means that by sharing our recovery stories, people will be attracted to the programs because of the positive changes they see in the lives of the members.
That was the case for me. Over the course of the last two years of my alcoholism, I watched two important people in my life change immensely. Their health and fitness improved, not to mention their overall character.
I began to suspect that their success was due to their recovery. So, I finally reached out to them when I was in a desperate place. That was December 25, 2016.
Sometimes our problems with drugs and alcohol are more serious. If this is the case for you, please look into treatment options such as The Grove to make your start. You may need the support of a detox and residential treatment center immediately.
Greg F. recently celebrated eight years free from drugs and alcohol. He has contributed to The Grove social media accounts in the past and served as a writing intern for The Grove in the fall of 2024, working toward a master’s degree in English from Southeastern Louisiana University. He is the author of two self-published books and a big fan of Gretsch Guitars.