Editing Twelve-step program (section)

{{Short description|Organizations for recovery from addiction}}
{{Redirect-distinguish|12 Steps|12 Steps (song)|12 Step Program (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2020}}
'''Twelve-step programs''' are international [[Mutual aid (organization theory)|mutual aid]] programs supporting recovery from substance [[wikt:addiction|addiction]]s, [[behavioral addiction]]s and [[Compulsive behavior|compulsion]]s. Developed in the 1930s, the first twelve-step program, [[Alcoholics Anonymous]] (AA), founded by [[Bill W.|Bill Wilson]] and [[Bob Smith (doctor)|Bob Smith]], aided its membership to overcome [[alcoholism]].<ref name="APA">{{cite book | last = VandenBos | first = Gary R. | title = APA dictionary of psychology | publisher = American Psychological Association | year = 2007 | location = [[Washington, DC]] | edition = 1st | isbn = 978-1-59147-380-0 | oclc = 65407150 | url = https://archive.org/details/apadictionaryofp00vand }}</ref> Since that time [[List of twelve-step groups|dozens of other organizations]] have been derived from AA's approach to address problems as varied as [[Substance abuse|drug addiction]], [[Problem gambling|compulsive gambling]], [[sex addiction|sex]], and [[overeating]]. All twelve-step programs utilize a version of AA's suggested twelve steps first published in the 1939 book ''[[The Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous)|Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism]].''<ref name="BIGBOOK">{{cite book | title = Alcoholics Anonymous | publisher = Alcoholics Anonymous World Services |date=June 2001 | edition = 4th |isbn = 978-1-893007-16-1 | oclc = 32014950 | url = http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/alcoholics-anonymous |ref=BIGBOOK | author = Bill W.}}</ref>

As summarized by the [[American Psychological Association]] (APA), the process involves the following:<ref name="APA"/>
* admitting that one cannot control one's alcoholism, addiction, or compulsion;
* coming to believe in a [[Higher Power]] that can give strength;
* examining past errors with the help of a sponsor (experienced member);
* making amends for these errors;
* learning to live a new life with a new code of behavior;
* helping others who suffer from the same alcoholism, addictions, or compulsions.