Nassau Alternative
12-Step Facilitation
12-step Facilitation is time-limited group therapy for people who struggle with substance abuse and are open to attending community-based 12-step programs. There are three primary objectives addressed while participating in the 12-step Facilitation group. The first is to accept that addiction is a illness that is best treated through abstinence. The second step is coming to believe that asking for help and guidance will return one to wellness and a self-directed life. The third step is to “take action” by attending 12-step meetings and participating in other recovery activities. For nearly eighty years, 12-step programs have proven to be effective for treatment of substance use disorders.
Nassau Alternative’s 12-Step facilitation therapy group is designed to increase the likelihood Nassau Alternative’s 12-Step facilitation therapy group is designed to increase the likelihood of a substance abuser becoming affiliated with and actively involved in community-based 12-step self-help groups. Three key ideas predominate:
- Acceptance, which includes the realization that drug addiction is a chronic, progressive disease over which one has no control, that life has become unmanageable because of drugs, that willpower alone is insufficient to overcome the problem, and that abstinence is the only alternative;
- Surrender, which involves giving oneself over to a higher power, accepting the fellowship and support structure of other recovering addicted individuals, and following the recovery activities laid out by the 12-step program; and,
- Action, via involvement in 12-step meetings and related activities. While the efficacy of 12-step programs (and 12-step facilitation) in treating alcohol dependence has been established, the research on its usefulness for other forms of substance abuse is more preliminary, but the treatment appears promising for helping drug abusers sustain recovery.
