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The Twelve Steps help keep us focused on recovery. They
are simple, affirming, and practical. We find that the more we embrace
the Steps as a tool for living the more we get out of them. Eventually
we learn to practice the principles expressed in the Twelve Steps in all
of our affairs.
The Twelve Steps offer a simple
plan for dual recovery. The plan is divided into twelve parts or steps.
They are adapted from the principles of the traditional Twelve Steps,
the personal experiences of men and women in dual recovery, and on the
principles of personal freedom and choice.
The Twelve Steps of DRA are specifically designed to
help members stop using alcohol and other intoxicating drugs, maintain
their recovery, and prevent relapse.
The Twelve Steps of DRA encourage members to develop
and follow a healthy and constructive plan to manage their emotional or
psychiatric illnesses.
By practicing the Twelve Steps for dual recovery,
members find that they are better able to improve the quality of their
lives.
The Twelve Steps of DRA are designed to help members in
several ways:
Acceptance: Learn to accept the dual disorder of
chemical dependency and emotional or psychiatric illness, and to accept
the need to develop and practice a personal program for dual recovery
that focuses on recovery from both illnesses.
Help: Choose a source of help and decide to use that
source of help for dual recovery. That source of help may be referred to
as a Higher Power or any other name that feels comfortable.
Identity Assets and Liabilities: Identify the
personal assets (attitudes, actions, and experiences) that can
strengthen dual recovery. Identify the personal liabilities (attitudes,
actions, and experiences) that pose a risk for dual recovery.
Change: Work with a personal source of help (Higher
Power) to strengthen the personal assets for dual recovery and remove
the personal liabilities that pose a risk for dual recovery.
Mend Relationships: Identify people who have been
negatively affected by a DRA member’s dual disorder and through dual
recovery, work to mend those relationships.
Maintain Dual Recovery and Prevent Relapse: Continue
to strengthen personal assets for dual recovery and remove personal
liabilities that pose a risk for relapse by continuing to work with a
personal source of help (Higher Power).
Help Others: Share with others who experience dual
disorders how dual recovery is possible.
Excerpts
from "Questions & Answers"
The Twelve Steps Of Dual
Recovery Anonymous*
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We admitted we were powerless
over our dual illness of chemical dependency and emotional or
psychiatric illness - that our lives had become unmanageable.
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Came to believe that a Higher
Power of our understanding could restore us to sanity.
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Made a decision to turn our
will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power, to help us to
rebuild our lives in a positive and caring way.
-
Made a searching and fearless
personal inventory of ourselves.
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Admitted to our Higher Power,
to ourselves, and to another human being, the exact nature of our
liabilities and our assets.
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Were entirely ready to have
our Higher Power remove all our liabilities.
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Humbly asked our Higher Power
to remove these liabilities and to help us to strengthen our assets
for recovery.
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Made a list of all persons we
had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
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Made direct amends to such
people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or
others.
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Continued to take personal
inventory and when wrong promptly admitted it, while continuing to
recognize our progress in dual recovery.
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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.
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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.
*Adapted from the
Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous®
*The Twelve Steps of
AA are reprinted and adapted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps does not
mean that AA has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication,
nor that AA agrees with the views expressed herein. AA is a program of
recovery from alcoholism only - use of the Twelve Steps in connection with
programs and activities that are patterned after AA, but that address
other problems, does not imply otherwise. THE TWELVE STEPS OF ALCOHOLICS
ANONYMOUS* 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol that our lives
had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will
and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. 4. Made a
searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. 5. Admitted to God,
to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. 8. Made a list of all
persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. 9.
Made direct amends to such people where ever possible, except when to do
so would injure them or others. 10. Continued to take personal inventory
and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. 11. Sought thorough prayer
and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood
Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry
that out. 12. 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.
There is an excellent set of books
that help us progress with incorporating the principles of the Steps in
our lives. One is a an in-depth study of the Steps and their meaning
called "The Twelve Steps
and Dual Disorders" and the other is
a companion work book of the same name. They were written by Tim Hamilton
and Pat Samples.
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