Step 12: Having Had A Spiritual Awakening As The Result Of The Twelve Step Program, We Try To Carry This Message To Alcoholics And To Practice These Principles In All Our Affairs.
Step twelve is the culmination of a series of actions in which we experienced a revolutionary change in our attitude and thinking about ourselves, about other people, and about the world in which we live.
With this knowledge we have gained, it is now time to be of maximum service to the people about us and to stay in fit spiritual condition.
We take this awakened spirit within us out to all people as we go through our days. We do this at work, while shopping, and while socializing. Using the tools of steps ten and eleven, we go through our days awake, aware, mindful and conscious.
It is critical that we share our experience with other alcoholics and addicts as we move out of ourselves and begin helping others through the process of working the steps out of the big book. Sharing these experiences is both a life-saving and a life-giving process which can greatly enrich our lives and the lives of others.
The Role of Step Twelve In The Recovery Process
There is no better way to truly learn than to teach. Teaching is a challenging and humbling experience, but also one filled with vast rewards for both teacher and student. There is no one more capable of guiding an addict through the process of recovery than one who has been there himself. If you are not the one to guide other addicts, who will?
One of the primary reasons that addicts relapse is that they begin to forget how destructive drugs or alcohol made their lives. Over time, our minds tend to soften the harsh memories of our past. The moment we begin to believe that the time we were using was ‘not that bad,' is the moment we become at risk of relapse. Continuously working with addicts reminds us of the insanity of the addict's life. As we work with others through the 12 Steps, we simultaneously work through them once again ourselves, and keep these teachings active in our daily lives.
Mark's Personal Experience with Step Twelve
After working through the Twelve Steps in his own life and realizing their profound impact, Mark made a choice to practice the teachings of Step Twelve to his greatest ability.
With the understanding that the 12 Steps must be practiced daily rather than just introduced cognitively, Mark's mission was to create a 90-day recovery center for men that gave them the time, direction, life-skills, self esteem, and support needed to make the transition from addiction to recovery.
In 2006, this dream was realized when the doors of the Mark Houston Recovery Center opened. Today, hundreds of men that passed through these doors have safely navigated the transition from addiction to recovery and learned to live a joyful life in sobriety.
Click here to download or print a PDF version of this page
The previous step - step 11 of 12
Remember this page
This page will be updated periodically with further meditations and guidance. You may wish to add it to your browser Favorites to make it easier to visit again. If you've found this page helpful, we also invite you to link to us from your own web site or blog:
To link to this page, copy the following code to your site:
Click here to add this page to your Internet Explorer Favorites
