12-Step Research Paper
Origins of the Twelve-Step Program Once an addict makes the decision to stop using a substance or engaging in a detrimental behavior, the difficult job of sticking with that decision often becomes a daily struggle. This particular stage is called recovery and is a lifelong process. Recovery is the longest stage of addiction and requires extreme behavior modification and self-control. In the late 1930s, a program was created that became the standard for nearly all recovery programs still in use today. The program was originally called Twelve Steps for Alcoholics and is now referred to as the Twelve Step Program. The origins of the Twelve Step Program are unique. The Twelve-Step Program was the creation of a gentleman named Bill Wilson. Wilson was a stockbroker originally from New York who moved to Akron, Ohio, in 1935. Wilson was an alcoholic. After his relocation to Akron, he was extremely lonely and his drinking increased; in spite of this, he desperately wanted to stop drinking (Wormer, 30). After a severe bout of binge drinking, Wilson was hospitalized for a short time and visited by his friend and former drinking buddy; a man named Ebby T. Ebby T. was now nearly sober and attempting recovery thanks to attendance in a program sponsored by the Oxford Group. The Oxford Group was a Christian-based, nondenominational movement that utilized Christian teachings in order to help alcoholics stop drinking and maintain sobriety. The Oxford Group organization stressed the importance of anonymity for individuals attending their program and an open structure of gatherings. No one person of authority was over the entire group. Many of the Oxford Group teachings and doctrine were adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous after its formation in 1936 (Trice, 90). Shortly after hospitalization, Wilson contacted the Oxford Group to seek help, and he was introduced to Henrietta Seiberling, an influential member of the Group. Seiberling saw Wilson’s need and distress. She hosted a
Cited: Cheever, Susan. My Name is Bill – Bill Wilson: His Life and the Creation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Ed. Susan Cheever. New York: Washington Square Press, 2004. Print. Trice, Harrison M. “Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).” Encyclopedia of Drugs, Alcohol & Addictive Behavior. Ed. Rosalyn Carson DeWitt. 2nd Ed. Vol. 1. New York: MacMillan, 2001. 88- 95. Print. Unity Service Recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. Ed. Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. 8th Printing. New York: American Book – Stratford Press, 1972. 235- 251. Print. Van Wormer, Katherine. Alcoholism Treatment – A Social Work Perspective. Ed. Dorothy J. Anderson. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1995. Print.