The 12 steps of recovery definitely do not work if you don't work them as designed.  When someone who is working the 12 steps relapses, one can go back and usually discovered one of the following "don't"s or "do" s has occurred.  So it is NOT that the steps and Fellowship doesn't work, it is that someone has wandered off and started to do "their own thing" which of course folks with addictions are known to do from time to time.  SO, the 12 steps of recovery don't work and deliver full recovery -

- if you don’t work ALL the 12 steps . . .
- if you don’t have a sponsor & USE the sponsor . . .
- if you don’t sponsor others on a regular basis . . .
- if you don’t go to 12-step Fellowship Meetings (such as AA/NA/CA/SA etc.) . . .
- if you don’t engage the members before, during, & after the meetings that you go to . . .
- if you don’t use the 12 steps you have learned on an on-going basis thru out your life . . .
- if you don’t actively surrender to the Higher Power who will reveal Himself to you as you do step-work . . .

- if you do continue being your own higher power . . .
- if you do the 12 steps cafeteria style (pick and choose what you will and won’t do) , . .
- if you do hold onto resentments, unforgiveness, and bitterness once you understand how to release them . . .
- if you do become complacent about need for a sponsor, the Fellowship, a Higher Power, & sponsoring others . . .

Please feel free to add your comments about how the 12-steps of recovery don't work . . . God bless you in your
journey into recovery.

Christopher J. Daniel, LPC

            Most people when they "think" about God tend to project their relationships with their parents onto a blank slate called "god".  For example, if I grow up with a father who is absent from my life, then I may at a deep level "view" "god" as distant, and not personable or even easier believe that "god" doesn't exist as my father "did not exist" for me in terms of his presence in m y life.  If I have a father or mother who tends to be very harsh and extreme and/or judgemental, it is easy for me to believe that "god" is also judgemental and ready to fry my backside with thunderbolts when I mess up.  For others, who have had parents that were more their buddies than their parents, I may "view" "god" as a warm fuzzie "up there in Heaven" who just accepts me for who I am and does not care what I do.  Life is just up to me to figure out.  
            In addition to parental experiences affecting our view of "god", there is also our relgious experiences and our experiences with religious people who influence us as to what and who "god" is.  Sometimes this influence is positive and sometimes it is negative in terms of shaping my "view" of "god".  
           To do a 3rd Step requires me "to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understand Him."  Depending on my "view" of "god", this will be rather difficult to do especially if I am not sure if he is really there and/or I believe he is harsh and judgemental . . . So what is a person to do?  
            Well, a possibility is what occurs at Step 2 . . . "came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity."  During this step, a person should "go" where they are hearing about "God" revealing Himself and allow themselves to have "an experience" of the real living God.  Why?  Because a real touch from the real God will forever change your life and your "view of God" . . . with an accurate view of God from your own experience of Him, this will make it quite easy to do a step 3 and turn your will and your life over to Him.  
            You may be asking, "well, does God really reveal Himself in a tangible manner to humans on planet earth in certain places?  The answer is "yes".  The following is a short history of the tangible "touch down" of God's presence on planet earth as has occurred in modern history.  Feel free to google all the information that I have provided for you and check it out for yourself.

            A massive invasion of God’s presence occurred in 1906 in Los Angeles at a small building on Azusa Street, in the black ghetto part of town.  Known as the Azusa Street Revival, it lasted until 1915.  Hundreds and sometimes thousands of people went there every day; many were healed instantly of various ailments, including the blind regaining their sight.  Others were transformed emotional/mentally/spiritually as they were empowered with supernatural gifts that they did not have previous to their visit there.  
            More recent, the Creator of the universe came “calling” to a church in Toronto, Canada in 1994.  This started a revival there known as the “Toronto Blessing” which attracted over 1 million pilgrims in its first few years, with many different supernatural events occurring.  Thousands of persons were healed physically, mentally, emotional of all kinds of diseases and ailments.  
            God came a calling to Pensacola, Florida on Father’s Day in 1995.  More than four million visitors came to the Brownsville Church there and participated in what came to be known as the “Brownsville Revival” which ended in the year 2000.  Many thousands of people were healed of different afflictions and maladies while attending services there.  Several of my personal friends went there and were visibly “different” when they came back – filled with a “spiritual fire” that permanently changed their lives; some of the changes included quitting their jobs and going into full time ministries of their own which are still thriving some 12 years later.
            So, where is God showing up in a tangible manner these days?  Well, there are quite a few places worldwide at the moment.   But guess what?  Right here in the Hill Country of Texas at  "The Coming King Foundation" prayer garden where the large 77' 7" steel empty cross is located, the Holy Spirit of God is showing up big time . . . the presence of the Holy Spirit is increasing on a daily basis.   There is not enough room to talk about all the miracles and touches of God that have occurred at the Cross on the hill in Kerrville.  Go check out the website www.thecomingkingfoundation.org/sculpture.htm and come to Kerrville and get your own "touch from God" that will take your recovery to another level!

God bless you!  CJD . . .

            Some folks have asked me to clarify what exactly do I with God" thinking that I am against the church, temple, etc. "truth" of who God is. The following diagram I think will


                                        "RELIGION"
                               (Christian perspective)

                    Man has a relationship w/ organizational 
                    church which tells man who God is and how 
                    God wants man to live.   Man has no interactive
                    communication with God other than study
                    of God's Word as interpreted by church
                    leadership.


Man <--------------------> Church <-------------------- God 



                    The organizational church has an
                    exclusive understanding and relationship
                    with God for the benefit of the man!  Man 
                    lives by the guidance of rules/laws as
                    interpreted by church leadership.

mean by the difference between "religion" vs. "relationship  
which I am not so long as it is teaching/preaching the 
explain the difference between the two in a simple way!


                          "RELATIONSHIP with GOD"
                              (Christian perspective)

        Man has a personal relationship w/ God 
        thru Jesus Christ which includes dialogue 
        communication both ways.  This occurs thru 
        the Holy Spirit and by the Word of God.



Man <----------> Jesus Christ <-------------> Father God
   |                                 |
    \    <----------> The Holy Spirit & the Church


       The Holy Spirit and the organizational church 
        support and enhance man's own private
        relationship with God thru Jesus Christ.  Man lives
        by following the voice of the Holy Spirit as well
        as thru revelation received thru the study 
        of God's Word by the Holy Spirit as well as other
        human teachers. 
.

            Anybody ever had a "run-in" with people in "the church, or "the temple", or "the synagogue", or "the mosque" and walked away feeling condemned, no good, judged, and like you had leprosy?  Well, you probably had a run in with "Religion", not with God.  In fact, if you have had enough "run-in's" with "Religion", you would probably be very unlikely to think very highly about God and about having a relationship with Him.  
            In my own life and history with God and Religion, I spent the first 10 years of life, from 0 to 10, going to the Church of Christ.  What I learned (not necessarily what I was taught) was that God is up in Heaven, and I am down on planet earth.  God was an angry God who had lighting bolts that he was ready to hurl at me and fry my backside should I mess up and fall into "sin".   Of course, with this belief system in place, I had no desire to go to church or know more about God.  Nevertheless, what I had was a "relationship with a church" which told me about God thru a rather negative lens.
            At the age of about 11yrs old, the family switched churches and we went to an Episcopal church.  There I learned that God was a "big warm fuzzy" in the sky who loved everything, and I was on earth alone dealing with my alcoholic mom not sure why God was not intervening.  After all, I was going to his church and was an acolyte (alter boy) there.  At this church too, I had a relationship with the church who told me about God thru a very positive lens and yet did little to teach me to connect with Him.  Even though I learned that God was good, His goodness was not helping my life on earth to become better nor solving my real life problems!  
            By the time I was 26 years old, I thought I knew all about God, even though I knew only a little about His Word and about Him.  I did know quite a lot about His people in His religious churches - some were nice, some were phonies, and a very few had this beautiful love flowing out of them . . . which I did not really understand other than thinking they were just nice people.  

            One day in July 1985 though, my life changed when I went from "Religion" which equals having a relationship with a church that tells you about God, to having a relationship directly with God thru His Son Jesus Christ, by His Holy Spirit.  This is not  "Religion", but true salvation and abundant life.  That day my life changed, and I discovered the real supernatural God that exists, and how He wants to have a relationship with you thru His Son by His Holy Spirit.  All of a sudden "God stuff" became real in my life as did miracles happening around me as well as answers to prayer.  Also, the Bible which I had tried to read several times thru out my life, but found it intolerably boring and dead, suddenly became "alive" and was like food.  I read the whole Bible in 3 months after coming into relationship with God.  I realize now the Bible was not "dead", instead I was dead to the Bible.  
            When my spiritual awakening occurred, I realized, that all my life, I had had a relationship with the "churches of God" instead of with God direct.  Religion which is full of rules always brings condemnation and ultimately death to the person.   True relationship with God brings love, peace, joy, and much much more!  Anything else is NOT GOD!
            Don't let your past run-in's with Religion keep you from the Real Life that is found "in relationship with God".  He is waiting for you to call Him, one touch from Him will transform your life!  Don't let RELIGION block you from the abundant life that is yours thru a relationship with the One True God.  For me, that is Jehova Adonai whose son is Yeshua a.k.a. Jesus Christ!  Look forward to your comments!  God bless you!      CJD 

        As I watch people move in "recovery" from their addictions, there seems to be some who move quickly in recovery, moving rapidly thru the 12-steps of recovery, then there seems to be others that struggle and move forward slowly.  As they move forward changing their "old ways", and incorporating "new ways" of doing life, there lives do improve.   Those who incorporate the 12-steps of recovery into their life as a lifestyle appear to become more stable than those who don't.  But many who have been doing the 12-steps for years, appear to hit a plateau in which their life from the outside appears to be "stale", "routine", and not filled with the "joy" and "excitement" of new sobriety and the beginnings of "new recovery".  So what has happened to them?  Could it be that "growth" in the ways of recovery have become more important than "growth" of something more important than recovery?
        At the end of the day, if recovery is based on a "spiritual awakening" occurring in a person's life, then continual growth and improvement in one's life I believe is tied in very closely with the growth of one's personal relationship with their Higher Power/God.  So how is your relationship and GROWTH in your relationship with your Higher Power/God going at the moment?  
        I discovered for myself, that my own relationship with God is always moving in one of two directions.  My relationship with God is either increasing in closeness or decreasing; it never stays the same!  My relationship with Him is always based on my efforts and my investments in my relationship with Him.   
        The efforts that I put into My relationship with God which improve my relationship with Him are (1) time spent with God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving; (2) studying God's Word (The Bible) which has the power of renewing my mind as well as building up my faith in God; (3) going to church (Impact Fellowship in Kerrville) and receiving "truth" packaged in the form of sermons and praise and worship in a group setting; (4) spending time (fellowship) with like-minded believers in which we share the latest greatest things God is doing in our lives which gives encouragement and builds up my faith and hope for God to move in my life; (5) volunteering at a prayer ministry in which I use my gifts to bless others as well as receive the blessing of seeing the demonstrated "Power of God" changing others' lives.

        So for those in AA/NA 12-step meetings, what are you doing to improve your relationship with your Higher Power/God?  To me AA/NA is great for getting you connected to your Higher Power/God, but it is very limited in its ability to assist you in growing in your relationship with your Higher Power/God beyond a certain point . . . I believe you must at some point in  your recovery go outside of AA/NA to continue your growth in your relationship with your Higher Power/God.  AA/NA were created to help you get sober and to come into "Recovery", which has to happen before anything else good can happen in your life.  But having said that,  AA/NA has only limited capacity to develop and mature your personal relationship with a Higher Power/God.  
        For myself, I have found growth and development of my relationship with God results in me being "always satisfied and always fulfilled."   My investments of time, talent, and money in my relationship with God always produce wonderful fruit in my life - "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galations 5:22-24).  In addition, as my relationship with God grows, I find that my own life grows and expands in ways beyond my own imagination.  
        So what am I saying?  There is MORE beyond Recovery!   Don't settle just for "Recovery", go for  "MORE THAN RECOVERY", which is "life and life in abundance" as promised in John 10:10 of the Bible!  Discover MORE now in Jesus' name!
        
        Take care and God bless you all on your journey!

        CJD

        Much of the general public understands "recovery" from alcohol/drug addiction as simply "not using anymore", a.k.a. a life of "sobriety."  This belief actually describes the "state of being sober," which is abstaining from the use of alcohol/drugs and/or other mood altering substances.  "Sobriety" is all about maintaining your focus on saying "NO" to drinking/drugging, saying "NO" to hanging out with your old user buddies, saying "NO" to going to the old places where you use to use.  It is a life of "no's" and "avoidance" achieved in one's own "power".  "Sobriety" is NOT "recovery". The result of sobriety without recovery is a restless, irritable, discontented, bored life, which most of the time will lead back to using again . . . 
       True "recovery" includeds "sobriety" but the focus is different.  In Recovery, the focus is on saying "YES" to connecting to your Higher Power/God on a daily basis, and allowing His power to transform your life.  With the obsession for using alcohol/drugs removed because of this connection, you don't have to say "NO" to the old things, as you don't want to do them anymore. 

You have healthy new wants and desires which create an active, thriving life.  Yes, it is still wise not to engage in the "NO's" of sobriety, but it is NOT your main focus.  In "recovery", the former addiction/alcoholic is focused on learning how to live life to its fullest without the use of alcohol/drugs, and doing this in the context of a "recovering" community.  
                                            (p.31 of "The Little Book)

My mom, never found "recovery", although she found long periods of "sobriety".  I hope you find "recovery" and the "great life" that God has created you for!  God Bless You!

CJD

            Have you ever thought about in life the strange and different impulses/urges that pop into your head and heart from time to time?  Specifically, have you noticed how you get these impulses/urges to do things - like go get some icecream; or put gas in your car now; help that little old lady out by putting her groceries in the car for her; or go ahead and take that cell phone on the table there that someone left; don't tell the cashier she gave you extra money; or do tell the cashier she gave you extra money  . . .
            Some of these impulses/urges are seemingly neutral, some are overtly negative/evil, while others are very positive/helpful.  So what does this have to do with the existence of a spirit world and/or the existence of a God/Higher Power? 
            Well, I have noticed in my own life that these impulses/"urges" have different intensities to them.  For example, I find that positive impulses/urges that I might experience such as "help that lady over there with her groceries" are generally very gentle messages that seem to be "leading" me into the positive action.  I don't feel forced to act on the positive urge, and in fact I find it fairly easy to reject and to ignore it.  If I do ignore it, I may feel a sadness in my heart and thus want to willingly choose to go back and do what I was being led to do by the positive impulse.  
            On the other hand, my experience with negative impulses/urges is quite different.  When a negative impulse hits such as "let's go shop" when you are on a budget and have no more to spend for the month, this impulse is not a gentle "leading", it is a push to action that feels like there is no other option than to obey the impulse or be constanly bombarded by the impulse to do the action until it is acted on.  To resist a negative impulse requires so much more emotional and mental energy than it does to resist doing a positive impulse.  The "strength" behind the negative impulse feels so much more overwhelming than does the "strength" behind a positive impulse. 

So what is the deal here?  If we are just simple biological creatures, and there is no spiritual world, and it is just us and what we can see and hear and touch, should not positive and negative impulses/urges that we experience have the same strength and require the same amount of energy to resist?
            Could it be that there is a whole other world in which negative forces and positive forces are constantly attempting to influence our decision making process and thus our actions which form our lives in this world?  Could this other world be a world of spiritual beings attempting to guide and/or manipulate us human beings thru impulses/urges someof which are generated by them?  
            In my own life, I have had many experiences beyond simple impulses/urges, when I have awakened in a room at night to feel a "cold presence" next to me . . . with a great overwhelming sense of fear trying to literally swallow up my being.  That presence would immediately leave when I would say "In the name of Jesus Christ" I command you to go.  Other times, I have awakened in the night hour to feel "an overwhelming sense of peace" in the room, which I gladly basked in - this was the Holy Spirit of God.  
            So, something to think about . . . do the differences in the strength and nature of positive impulses/urges versus negative impulses/urges point to the existence of a spiritual world, and thus to God/Higher Power that is not me?  Look forward to your  comments . . .  CJDaniel

PS - or is it just random chemical imbalances, and hey buddy just pass me some Xanax?

            Not long ago, my God = Jehova Adonai, whose son is Jesus Christ, was speaking to me by the Holy Spirit inside of me through his "still small voice" about guidance in a particular situation that I was in.  The situation was not one that was life threatening, nor was it one in which a relationship with family or friends was threatened.  
            The Holy Spirit gave me a picture of my situation in which I was "lost" in a valley surrounded by tall mountains such as those in the Canadian Rockies around Banff/Lake Louise area.  The sun was setting and I did not know the way out.  All of a sudden in this picture in my mind, a guide shows up who was looking for me.  He assured me he knew the way out.  We travelled on some "switch backs" which is an ever rising trail that curves back on itself . . . 
            The path that I was on with this guide was unknown to me as I had come into the valley by a much easier path which for some reason I could not find.  As the sun continued to set, I became more and more uneasy about whether or not this trail would get me out of my situation . . . I was tempted to go back down and look for my old path "into the valley",  thinking it would lead me out . . .
              It was decision time . . . will I trust my own voice and experiences which got me into the valley, or will I trust a stranger/guide who I have not really known who claims to know the way out?
            In Recovery, especially in the beginning, we are faced with this all the time, everyday.  What a struggle!  I am looking for some stranger/sponsor for answers to my life whom I am not really sure that I can trust.  I have already had a number of people "rookie do, tattoo, and snaffoo" me. My level of trust is pretty low . . . 
            Then additionally, there is this 3rd Step in which I turn my life over to "a voice"/Higher Power/God that I am not even sure exists.  How about some help out there . . . ?  It is much easier just to follow my "own voice", you know the one that said, "Oh I can use just this once . . . ," or, "I can control it this time", or "I can't sleep or I can't calm down or I can't survive or I can't have fun without a little meth/cocaine/pot/alcohol/etc."  So what do I do to get out of the "valley of addiction"?  

            My suggestion, get a well-seasoned sponsor and just make the choice to trust him/her, get on a new path to you called the 12-steps of recovery (which has been a tried and true path of recovery for millions over the years), and at the same time get connected to the creator of the universe who made you and begin learning how to hear and follow His voice so that eventually you have "an internal guide" as well as the external guide.  Moving in the "right" direction should always provide a sense of "peace" in your gut, which may not necessarily line up with what your head is saying or your emotions are feeling.  What is "cool" about being connected to the guidance of your Creator, He knows the "best way" out of your situation all the time.
            In my real life problem, I chose to listen to the Holy Spirit and followed the "peace" that was emanating from my "gut" even though it did not make sense to my head.  That decision really was not so hard because I have been attempting to hear and follow His voice for 26+ years.  Sometimes His paths have been "a little hairy", but His paths have always turned out great in the long run . . .  This decision to trust His voice led to a blessing for a friend of mine as well as a financial blessing for  myself . . . 
            So go for it!  As you "step out in faith" to trust the voice of your sponsor, trust the path of the 12-steps of recovery, and trust the voice of your Higher Power, your Higher Power will catch you and make sure you land on firm ground . . .  Your old "obsessive voice"?  Go ahead and ignore that dude right now . . . that "obsessive voice" will take you down to the bottom of the mountain again and even lower than before!  

            Take care!  God bless you with the wisdom and direction that you need in this moment!

Christopher James Daniel, MA, LPC