Despite all the research into the causes and nature of addiction, we still don’t know much, not really.
Sure, there are often chemical imbalances, or what we think are imbalances in the brains of those addicted to substances.
And there is some evidence that there are similar imbalances with at least some of the behaviors that have their own 12 Step Program. But brain science still doesn’t have answers for the person who is hoplessly and helplessly trapped in an addictive cycle.
That said, there is at least one thing we do know and that’s true addicts to a substance or a behavior cannot stop the self-destructive behavior on will power alone.
That is, the experience of those who have recovered and those who haven’t make it clear that gritting our teeth or making promises or changing where we live, etc. etc. etc. won’t solve the problem. The true addict will return to the drug or behavior of choice no matter what. If they can’t get the drug or do the behavior they want they will get or do one that’s a close as possible.
Something else has to happen if the addict is to let go of the addiction.
The 12 Step Program is one of the most effective things that can happen to a practicing addict – except it only works if the addict actually works at all 12 Steps.
And how does it happen that an addict will begin to work the Steps?
Another subject we don’t know a whole lot about.
Every recovered addict I know, myself included, can tell the story of what happened that led them into the 12 Step rooms when it ‘took.’ My recovery from alcoholism began with a traffic accident in the parking lot of one of my favorite bars. Yours probably began a different way.
If we poke around at our stories we’ll find some sort of bottom was hit, and maybe something much like spiritual intervention. I had some kind of a realization that I was an alcoholic while driving hung over to the max; I don’t think I was capable of working it out all by myself. Your story will be different, but leads mostly to the same place.
Dictionary.com defines addiction as:
the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to somethingthat is psychologically or physically habit-forming, as narcotics, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.
Looking back, that’s not a bad definition.
What I knew was in spite of many efforts I couldn’t stop. When I finally reached out for help in the 12 Step rooms I stopped. The same thing was true for me with nicotine – except with that addiction I did it with phone meetings. But it was the same 12 Steps and the same fellowship.
Understanding that we’re trapped and that we can’t stop using by ourselves turns into, if we’re lucky, to Step 1.
How did you understand addiction when you first came to the 12 Steps?
Love, blessings, and abundance,
Image: 
Some rights reserved by FeatheredTar
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I write a lot about addiction in my non-fiction stories and on my blog. I’ve had many different experiences of “addiction”. What finally led me to stop was wanting to feel, wanting to be clear, and finding that even when my use was completely socially sanctioned by one doctor, I was miserable and had lost what really makes me tick: my writing and my music. But like any bottom, you only reach yours when you stop digging.
I don’t use AA, I have in the past, but I do use a large network of sober peers, I don’t visit old haunts, and I am brutally honest about my experiences. The part that helps me the most is sharing my stories with others who are struggling — it keeps me honest, it keeps me sober and seeing their struggles reminds me that I don’t want to go back and being clean is a choice I’ve made and want to keep making.
Kyrsten, AA certainly isn’t the only way… just the only way I know. The sober peers and the brutal self-honesty would seem to be key. Glad you’re here and would like to hear more of your journey.