Quote:
Originally Posted by sonotony
Would any of you guys ever join a 12 step program for bipolar disorder? I guess my issues with the idea is I feel that the steps imply that the disorder is my fault and that I can be healed without medication.
Do you agree with me or do you think I'm looking at this the wrong way?
For those of you not familiar with the 12 steps, here are the 12 steps for people with affective disorders:
We admitted we were powerless over our affective disorder-- that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of the God of our understanding.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we have harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with the God of our understanding, praying only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as a result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to persons with affective disorder and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Well, what do you think?
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There is a 12 Step Program called "Emotions Anonymous." We admitted we were powerless over our emotions and that our lives had become unmanageable. This program helped me IMMENSELY when I was back in NY. In NY we had many chapters, here in FL not so many and so I haven't gone.
Making that admission was not difficult for me. At that time I was not properly diagnosed, but the counselor I would see with my husband before I left - her parting words to me were that I need to learn to think, not act and that I should check out an EA meeting.
We had a lot of crossover. The logic being that no matter what your addiction, a lot of it had to do with an inability to manage emotions.
If there were more meetings in my area I would go back. It was helpful. I'm still friends with my sponsor and God Love that woman she has been a rock to me so many times. It is more difficult for me to "communicate with my Higher Power" when she tells me to do that. Very hard.