Addiction must be viewed as a process that is progressive. Addiction must be seen as an illness - in AA it is described as a three-fold illness: physical, mental/emotional and spiritual; and unless there is adjustment of personality on all three levels, there will be no permanent sobriety; additionally, it is an illness that undergoes continuous development from a definite, though often unclear, beginning towards an end point.

Simply stated, recovery in AA and its relatives (Narcotics Anonymous (NA), The Minnesota Model, Overeaters Anonymous (OA), etc) involves reaching a personal ‘rock bottom’ whereby the alcoholic or addict become motivated enough to stop.

Recovery, AA believes, is made possible through a realisation that only a spiritual experience can conquer alcoholism and involves moving from an external locus of control to an internal one – an experience which is actuated through practise of the 12 Step “suggested” programme of recovery, and which involves:

​

1. Self examination – alcoholics have to admit defeat,

2. Acknowledgment of faults – they also need to take stock of themselves and confess any defects to another person in confidence,

3. Restitution of wrongs done – they need to make amends for harm done to others and, above all,

4. Constant work with others – they need to practice the kind of giving that has no price tag on it, the giving of themselves to somebody.

​

AA advocates abstinence and believes, from collective experience, that the illness is characterised by a loss of control. It is the first drink that does the damage by setting off a compulsive need for more. Alcoholics (and addicts in NA) do not say they’ll never drink (or use) again. They stay sober or clean ‘One day at a time’. The 12 Step AA/NA approach is structured, specific, solution-focused, goal-oriented and manual-driven, and is based on behavioural, spiritual, and cognitive principles. It is, as AA itself admits, ‘a programme for living’ – and, as such, is a ‘way of life’ for the lifetime of the recovered alcoholic or addict.