FEATURE — During this time of year, many of us have resolutions we hope to accomplish, and quickly. Whether you want to achieve a certain goal, be a better person, or simply lose weight, resolutions offer an opportunity to make yourself a better person.

Often times they offer us a new beginning, and in many ways, are similar to beginning the recovery process. Those who start their journey to recovery from addiction take certain steps to overcome and achieve a better life.

As you consider your resolutions, you may want to consider strategies and methods to help you achieve your goals.

In recovery there is a program that has helped countless individuals overcome their addiction and restored thousands of alcoholics and drug addicts back to joyful living. When followed closely this program can facilitate amazing levels of emotional and spiritual growth that overcome self-righteousness, self-deception, and self-pity.

The 12-step program is a set of guiding spiritual principles that outline a course of action for recovery from addiction. The program assumes that addiction is a spiritual problem.

Although the program is primarily used for recovery, it provides lasting principles that can be helpful to anyone, especially for those trying to achieve a goal.

The 12 steps

1. Admitting you are powerless over your problems, and that your life has become unmanageable
2. Coming to believe that a Power greater than yourself can restore you to sanity
3. Making a decision to turn your will and life over to the care of God (as you understand Him/Her)
4. Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of yourself
5. Admitting to God, to yourself, and another human being, the exact nature of your wrongs
6. Being entirely ready to have God remove all of your defects of character
7. Humbly asking Him/Her to remove your shortcomings
8. Making a list of all persons you have harmed and be willing to make amends to them all
9. Making direct amends to such people whenever possible, except when doing so would injure them or others
10. Continuing to take personal inventory and when you are wrong, promptly admitting it
11. Seeking through prayer and meditation to improve your conscious contact with God (as you understand Him/Her) praying only for knowledge of His/Her will for you and the power to carry that out
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, trying to carry this message to others, and practice these principles in all of your affairs

As you work through your resolutions, consider these principles.

Many take one step per month and review that step each day for 30 days. You may experience increased spirituality, and a better resolve to accomplish your goals.

Although the steps of recovery are spiritually oriented, they are not based on a specific religion today. Even those who do not prescribe to a specific faith can still find them helpful in leading to a serene, fulfilling way of life.

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Written by Sherrie Gerry for St. George Health & Wellness Magazine and St. George News.

Sherry has a master’s degree in mental health counseling and over five years experience working with drug and alcohol addiction. She is currently the president of the Domestic Violence Coalition in St. George.

St. George Health and Wellness website

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

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