<P> A twelve - step program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems . Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the 1939 book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism . The method was adapted and became the foundation of other twelve - step programs . </P> <P> As summarized by the American Psychological Association, the process involves the following: </P>

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