A Guide to Alcoholics Anonymous and Other 12-Step Programs
May 30, 2025 | By Taylor Rapuano
What to Know About Alcoholics Anonymous and 12-Step Programs
Maybe you’ve heard of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the most well-known 12-step program, or Narcotics Anonymous (NA). Maybe you know someone who attends. Maybe someone has told you to go! Unless you’ve gone to these meetings yourself or know someone who does, these programs can seem mysterious. Unless you’ve been to a meeting yourself or know someone involved, these programs can feel a little mysterious. But they don’t have to be! This guide breaks down what 12-step meetings are, what to expect, and how they might support your recovery.
A Quick History of 12 Step Programs
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), the first 12-step program, was founded in 1935 in 1935 by Bill W., a stockbroker, and Dr. Bob, a surgeon. Both were struggling with alcoholism and found that through their shared experience, they could help each other and stay sober. From there, they started the first AA meeting, word spread, and other AA meetings popped up around the country in the following years.
Since then, many other 12-step programs have been created and use some variation of AA’s 12 steps and principles to support recovery from other addictive substances or problem behaviors. Some of these groups include:
Each group shares a foundation of peer support, structured steps, and shared recovery values.
What is a 12-Step Meeting Like?
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The purpose of a 12-step meeting is for members to gather together, talk about their experiences with addiction and recovery, and support each other with recovery. They typically follow some type of structure, whether that’s sharing about a specific topic related to recovery, listening to a speaker talk about their experience, or reading about the steps. Meetings can occur anywhere, depending on where members choose to meet, but often meet in places where a room can be rented such as a church, hospital, or community center. You can also attend meetings online or on the phone!
Meetings vary in size and vibe depending on geography, population, and the particular meeting. Sometimes meetings are population specific. For example, there are meetings specifically for specific genders, LGBTQ, newcomers, veterans, atheists, etc. It’s often recommended that people try a few different meetings to see what fits best for them and to get a sense of the program since meetings can vary so greatly.
How to Get Involved: Common Suggestions for Newcomers
When someone starts attending 12-step meetings, they will typically hear members talk about things that have helped them maintain recovery. These suggestions typically include:
Attend meetings regularly
Read 12-step program (or related) literature
Talk to members outside of meetings
Find a sponsor (a sponsor is someone who guides you through the 12-steps by sharing their own experience with the 12 steps and recovery)
Work through the 12 steps with sponsor
Be of service to others, particularly to new members trying to recover
What are the 12 Steps?
Here are the original 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous:
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
We're entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to 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 we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Reading through these steps, you might notice themes like honesty, hope, service, courage, and faith or god. Which brings us to a question people often ask.
Do You Have to Believe in God to Join a 12-Step Program?
You definitely don’t have to believe in god or be religious to benefit or be a part of a 12 step program. Most 12-step programs have meetings specifically for atheists or people who don’t believe in god. Many members interpret the word “god” to mean things like good orderly direction, love, nature, or the 12-step fellowship itself. Many 12-step members have shared about their experiences in recovery without believing in god. Often, members interpret the 12 steps in ways that work with their unique understanding of what a higher power means to them. In fact, Jeffrey Munn, a therapist and the author of Staying Sober Without God, included his interpretation of the 12 steps as:
Admitted we were caught in a self destructive cycle and currently lacked the tools to stop it.
Trusted that a healthy lifestyle was attainable through social support and consistent self-improvement.
Committed to a lifestyle of recovery, focusing only on what we could control.
Made a comprehensive list of our resentments, fears, and harmful actions.
Share our lists with a trustworthy person.
Made a list of our unhealthy character traits.
Began cultivating healthy character traits through consistent positive behavior.
Determined the best way to make amends to those we had harmed.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would cause harm.
Practiced daily self reflection and continued making amends whenever necessary.
We started meditating.
Sought to retain our newfound recovery lifestyle by teaching to those willing to learn and by surrounding ourselves with healthy people.
What are the Benefits and Potential Limitations of 12-Step Programs?
Benefits of 12-Step Programs
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Social support! This is a crucial factor for all kinds of recovery, but especially addiction.
Because of the community component, members can get a significant amount of in-the-moment support from peers or a sponsor in the program.
Meetings and membership are free and accessible.
Supports members in utilizing useful coping skills and strategies to navigate triggers and prevent relapse.
The 12-steps complement other treatment modalities like therapy.
Potential Limitations to Consider
The spiritual emphasis can feel like a barrier to people who are not spiritual.
12-step programs for addiction use an abstinence-based approach– some people are looking for a harm-reduction or moderation approach.
12-step groups are peer-led and mutual-aid. This means that there is no professional leadership or guidance at meetings. For some people, this will be appealing. For others, this can feel like not enough support or structure.
Meetings and populations within meetings vary, so it can take time to find meetings that feel like a good fit
Alternatives to 12-Step Programs
12-step groups are just one of many options for social support in recovery. There are many other support group options. Here are a few:
Whether you’re seeking recovery from alcohol, drugs, disordered eating, or other struggles, there is no one-size-fits-all path. 12-step programs have helped millions of people find support, structure, and healing but they’re just one option. If you're curious, start by checking out a few local or virtual meetings and see what resonates with you.
You don’t have to walk the path of recovery alone. Support is out there and you deserve it.
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