Step 11 of the 12 step program states, “Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” By the time you reach step 11, you will have had several changes in your life. You will be sober, made amends, and taken a thorough inventory of yourself.

Newer recovering individuals who scan the 12 steps may feel overwhelmed by talks of God and prayer. Try not to be alarmed. As they say in the 12 step rooms, take your recovery one day at a time. You do not need to be religious to join the 12 step program. If you are really uncomfortable with the thought of prayer, meditation is also part of step 11.

Meditation has long been revered as an excellent tool for emotional well-being. In more recent years, meditation has been also been considered a great tool for recovery. The principle behind this step is to improve our contact with something or someone outside of ourselves.

When you were in active addiction, the driving force in your life was getting one more drink or drug. Now that you are sober, your motivation is getting one more day of sobriety. This can only be done by relying on a power outside of yourself. Even if the concept of a Higher Power is not easily understood, you can acknowledge that the 12 step group is a power outside of yourself.

Step 11 goes on further to say that you should pray for the knowledge to carry out His will. Consider this, if you are not a religious person, you can rely on the power of the group to figure out what to do next. What is the will of the group? Recovery, one day at a time.

Once you get through the 12 steps, recovery isn’t over. You will go through these steps over and over. Where you are during year 1, is not where you will be at year 5 or 10. Be easy on yourself. Use the power of the group to get through step 11.

At The Kimberly Center, we care about your recovery. We believe in the power of the 12 step program, but we also meet people where they are at. You don’t have to have life all figured out to join recovery. Call us now at 855-4-KCENTER to learn more about what addiction treatment involves. At the Kimberly Center, you can trust that you are in safe hands.