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What I am writing here is, in bits, my witness, my apologia, my main share.<\/p>\n
Dealing with the last things first (the first shall be last in the Kingdom of Heaven) I am a member of a Twelve Step programme and have been for something like 10 years, I suppose, though I only started to take the programme seriously in late 2006. What I write here is not, however, primarily about any particular twelve step programme or even about twelve step programmes generally.<\/p>\n
A bit about Twelve step programmes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n I am not writing for twelve step members, so if you are a twelve stepper you can probably skip this bit. However, I am a member of a twelve step programme and probably qualify for at least three others (I\u2019ve only been to actual meetings of one of those), and it has been important in forming the way I think about some things, so you need to know where I am coming from.<\/p>\n In Twelve Step programmes, there is a practice called a \u201cmain share\u201d. This involves a member giving a short\u00a0 <\/span>account of their life with reference to the programme, and frequently takes the form of sharing their \u201cExperience, strength and hope\u201d.\u00a0 <\/span>Another way of putting it is \u201cWhat I was like, what happened, and what I am like now\u201d. Often this takes place at the beginning of a meeting in which other members will in turn share more briefly aspects of their own experience strength and hope which have been brought to their attention by something they heard in the main share.<\/p>\n Members are expected to listen politely and attentively to each others and not to interrupt, nor in general to argue with other members, though they can (and often do) pick up a difference and share that for them, it was like this.<\/p>\n They are encouraged to listen attentively and to listen especially for similarities, not differences, and in that way they may be helped to understand their own situation or to remember something in their own past which has brought them to where they are.<\/p>\n Twelve step states that it is not a religious programme, it is a spiritual programme, but in it are a number of references to \u201cGod\u201d. Some of them add the words \u201cas you understand him\u201d, and step 2 reads \u201cCame to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity\u201d. Twelve step programmes are all based on overcoming some problem of addiction or compulsion (there are quite a few variants), and this addiction or compulsion is thought to involve a form of insanity which needs to be removed.<\/p>\n People will share that a variety of things have been sufficient as a \u201chigher power\u201d, including in some cases the AA group itself, in other cases the concept of \u201cGood\u201d, or \u201cGood orderly direction\u201d (G.O.D.) You are entirely free to choose whatever concept works for you, as long as it does work \u2013 and you can change your mind about what concept you use, as many members do.<\/p>\n