When you think of 12-step meetings, what do you think? Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is perhaps the first thing that comes to your mind, then maybe even Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Basically, addiction recovery. But did you know that 12-step meetings are also beneficial for your mental health during recovery from substance use? Let us read on to learn more.
What Are 12-Step Meetings?
12-Step meetings have been the mainstay of addiction recovery for quite some time now. They began with Alcoholics Anonymous, or AA, when two people – Dr. Bob Smith and Bill Wilson – came together to develop the 12 Steps of declaring powerlessness over substance use, spiritual surrender, seeking help, looking inward, making amends, service, and personal development. Today, the 12-Step format has found tremendous success and fame – with more than 2 million people achieving recovery through AA support.
The success of this format saw the rise and growth of several other sister groups, such as Narcotics Anonymous (NA), Marijuana Anonymous, Cocaine Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Debtors Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, and even Dual Recovery Anonymous.
Mental Health and 12-Step Meetings
In the context of substance use, mental health is often overlooked or forgotten. But did you know, nearly 50% of the time, substance co-occurs with at least one other mental health condition, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, schizophrenia, and more?
So, how do 12-Step meetings help with mental health? Experts have suggested that partaking in these meetings is good for your mental health, especially when you seek out specific support. Dual Recovery Anonymous, or DRA, is one such group that offers emotional, peer support for substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions.
Please note that 12-Step programs are not designed to replace professional substance use or mental health treatment. If you or a loved one is struggling with dual diagnosis, severe withdrawal symptoms, or other health complications, then you may require medically supervised detox, one-on-one psychotherapy, group therapy, and psychiatric support that go beyond the bandwidth of 12-Step programs. But of course, these programs are feasible in that they can be incorporated into your treatment as well.
What Is Dual Recovery Anonymous?
Dual Recovery Anonymous, or DRA, is a 12 Step self-help program that is based on the principles of the 12 Steps and caters to the struggles and concerns of those in recovery with a dual diagnosis. You only need to meet two requirements to join DRA:
- A desire to stop using alcohol or other drugs.
- A desire to manage mental health conditions or disorders in a healthy, productive manner.
DRA encourages members to build a strong support network for both substance use and mental health. This support system also involves mental health treatment facilities, therapists, psychiatrists, social service professionals, and spiritual support from 12-Step and other self-help programs such as this.
While DRA does not offer medical or clinical care or any specific advice as to how you should go about your psychiatric condition, what it does is offer a safe environment where you can connect with other people who have had similar experiences and what they have learned from applying the 12 Steps in their lives.
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What Are the 12 Steps of DRA?
- We admitted we were powerless over our dual illness of chemical dependency and emotional or psychiatric illness – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Higher Power of our understanding could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power, to help us rebuild our lives in a positive and caring way.
- Made a searching and fearless personal inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our liabilities and our assets.
- We are entirely ready to have our Higher Power remove all our liabilities.
- Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove these liabilities and to help us strengthen our assets for recovery.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends for them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and, when wrong, promptly admitted it while continuing to recognize our progress in dual recovery.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power, praying only for knowledge of our Higher Power’s will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others who experience dual disorders and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Working the 12 Steps for Dual Recovery
The 12 Steps of DRA are crafted for the following reasons:
- Acceptance – A dual diagnosis is challenging to hear, but the 12 Steps will help you learn to accept it as you move toward recovery.
- Seeking Help – Recovery does not happen in isolation or on its own; you need to seek help and decide to use the help you receive for your recovery. The source is referred to as the Higher Power – while this may mean God, it may also mean different things to different people – such as the universe, love, science, and so on.
- Identifying Your Strengths and Liabilities – You identify your personal strengths – whether it is in your outlook, experience, or behavior to reinforce your recovery. You also identify your liabilities that may deter your recovery.
- Move Toward Change – You work with the Higher Power to build on your strengths and reduce the liabilities.
- Repair Relationships – Unfortunately, co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions lead to damaged relationships. You identify those in your life who have been negatively affected by this and make efforts to mend those relationships.
- Maintain Recovery and Prevent Relapse – You continue to build on your strengths and remove liabilities that can pose a threat of relapse by working with the Higher Power.
- Service – You share your experiences and recovery journey from a dual diagnosis with others so as to inspire them and instill the belief that recovery can very much be everyone’s reality.
How to Find the Right 12-Step Meeting for You?
12-Step meetings, whether you are looking for AA, NA, DRA, or any other specific one, do not hold any official rankings. So, it cannot definitively be said that one is better than the other. Depending on whether you are just starting, or you are more focused – you can opt for newcomer, open, or closed meetings. Depending on your concerns and comfort levels, you can also opt for specialized meetings such as young adult, women, LGBTQIA+, and veteran meetings.
Basically, the right 12-Step meetings are:
- Well-attended
- Have a good mix of both newcomers and old timers
- Feel open, honest, and welcoming
- You do not feel any pressure to do anything you are not comfortable with.
12-Step meetings can be attended both in person and online. Even hybrid models can work – many AA members specifically follow this model, as they combine in-person presence with a certain percentage of online attendance in a month.
The idea behind 12-Step meetings is simple – keep showing up. You may not find the right meeting that fits in with your personality right away; you might have to shift between meetings until you find the right one. But when you do, there is no looking back. They become integral to your recovery.
The 12 Steps do not mean the same to everyone; your recovery journey is going to be unique from everyone else’s, so you will find your own meaning as you navigate them. You come to terms with your recovery in your own way. The 12-Steps are based on openness, willingness, and honesty toward your own recovery. With action, these Steps can be the non-judgmental tool you need to forgive and nurture yourself as you move toward recovery.
Begin Your Addiction Recovery Today
Beginning your addiction recovery can feel overwhelming right away, but the 12 Steps have been the cornerstone of recovery that you can always turn to. They are designed to meet you where you are in your recovery. As a leading sober living in Los Angeles, Sober Living West has a 12-Step focus, and we encourage you to participate in local 12-Step meetings as well.
Please do not hesitate to contact us at (310) 218-5158 today, and we will connect you with the right 12-Step meetings for you depending on your recovery needs and goals. Your healing begins now!
Frequently Asked Questions
12-Step meetings are peer-led support groups that follow a structured program to help you recover from substance use and other related challenges.
Yes, 12-Step meetings like Dual Recovery Anonymous provide the support you need for both substance use and co-occurring mental health conditions.
No, 12-Step meetings complement professional treatment. But they are not meant to replace medical or mental health care.
You can try different meetings until you find one that feels welcoming, supportive, and aligned with your needs. You can also contact Sober Living West at (310) 218-5158, and we can connect you with the 12-Step meeting that aligns with your recovery needs and goals.
Yes, 12-Step meetings do not cost anything to attend. You can contribute monetarily if you want, but it is not mandatory either.