The twelve steps of Alcoholics Anonymous took a few years to write. Surviving his chronic and life threatening alcoholism through a series of spiritual events and specific activities, Bill Wilson, the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous did a tremendous amount of research. He had been following the six steps of the Oxford Group for many years and found them to be most effective. Studying philosophy, religion, and psychology, Wilson consulted the work of some of the most influential individuals like William James and Carl Jung.
Alcoholics Anonymous is often characterized as a religious program due to their use of the word “God” and the mandate that anyone seeking recovery through the 12 steps should seek a relationship with a higher power of their own understanding. However, ALcoholics Anonymous never refers to itself as a religious organization and makes blunt statements about the organization’s intentional lack of religious affiliation. Instead, Alcoholics Anonymous and the 12 steps are a spiritual program of recovery, creating a spiritual program for living. Universal in nature, the simple program outlined in the 12 steps is full of themes of kindness, goodness, forgiveness, surrender, and other morals that anyone can align themselves to. No religion is required and the presence of alcoholism is not required either. Dozens upon dozens of sister organizations have been founded and developed using the 12-step model as a program for recovery for a myriad of issues.
Many people who experience trauma that goes on unresolved develop harmful coping behaviors like addiction, alcoholism, process addictions, other disorders, or compulsive behaviors. 12-step work may not be a defined treatment for trauma, but it is strongly encourage and suggested as a supplement to clinical recovery and treatment. Reconciling with harmful coping behaviors helps with trauma because you eliminate the appearance of those behaviors. For example, working the 12 steps for addiction can support abstinence from drugs and alcohol. Without continuously cycling into the shame of addiction and causing retraumatization, an individual can head steadfast toward recovery from trauma. Developing fatih through a spiritual partnership with a higher power can also give individuals the hope and strength they need to persevere through challenges in treatment.