12 Steps & 12 Traditions
The Twelve Steps are a set of principles which offer a plan for recovery that helps repair the damage our addiction to crystal meth has caused. The Twelve Traditions guide the group just as the Twelve Steps guide the individual.
The 12 Steps
It’s never too early to start the Steps–the simple plan for living that keeps us sober a day at a time.
We did this work honestly and thoroughly, following our sponsor’s suggestions. Working the Steps gradually freed our minds from thoughts of using and addictive behaviors. Ultimately, they brought us to an awakening of the spirit which relieved us of the obsession to use.
The 12 Steps: A Plan of Action
We admitted that we were powerless over crystal meth and 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 a 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 had 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 a God of our understanding, praying only for the 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 crystal meth addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The 12 Traditions
Many of us wondered what the 12 Traditions have to do with keeping us sober.
The 12 Traditions suggest how we conduct ourselves as a group, and relate to each other and the fellowship. They remind us that personal recovery depends upon CMA unity, that as members of CMA we are vitally important to one another. The Traditions help us maintain the integrity of our fellowship and provide a safe environment for recovery.
The 12 Traditions of Crystal Meth Anonymous
Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon CMA unity.
For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority- a loving God as expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
The only requirement for CMA membership is a desire to stop using.
Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or CMA as a whole.
Each group has but one primary purpose- to carry its message to the addict who still suffers.
A CMA group ought never endorse, finance or lend the CMA name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
Every CMA group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Crystal Meth Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
CMA, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
Crystal Meth Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the CMA name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films and all other media.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.
*The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous have been reprinted and adapted with the permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc (AAWS). Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions does not mean that Alcoholics Anonymous is affiliated with this program. AA is a program of recovery from alcoholism only- use of AA’s Steps and Traditions, or and adapted version of its Steps and Traditions in connection with programs or activities which are patterned after AA, but which address other problems, or in any other non-AA context, does not imply otherwise.
We Have Recovery Literature
Crystal Meth Anonymous has a range of free pamphlets available for download. Many meetings and facilities where our fellowship gather have printed versions of these pamphlets. You can also purchase CMA literature and books from other 12-Step fellowships.