A 12-step program is a set of principles that assists people suffering from alcohol abuse and addiction by providing individual action steps.

In 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous published its original 12-step method of recovery from alcoholism in the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism. Many programs have started as offshoots of the original Alcoholics Anonymous program. Likewise, these problems include drug addiction, compulsion, and depression.

In 12-step drug treatment programs, recovery is discussing the effects of addiction—physical, mental, and emotional—and responding with specific actions. Two unique features of the 12-step program are:

• A group setting: The 12 steps of recovery are discussed and applied in a recovery group. Above all, members of these groups emphasize self-admission of the problem they are recovering from.
• Sponsorship: A sponsor is a more experienced recovering addict who guides new members of the group, much like a mentor. According to the related 12-step program of Narcotics Anonymous, “A sponsor is simply another addict in recovery who is willing to share his or her journey through the Twelve Steps.”

Some critics of 12-step drug treatment programs are leery of its emphasis on God. In the many decades since the beginning, Alcoholics Anonymous has adopted a spiritual focus. As a result, members of AA can define the higher power in their own way.