Introduction to the Twelve Steps

The primary purpose of this Blog is for communicating experience, strength and hope with parents of son/daughter with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Mental Illness or other challenges whose lives have become unmanageable (like an emotional roller coaster).  If your life as a parent is stressful and often chaotic, then this information is for you!  The powerful 12 Step Program can be adapted for use by parents who seek relief from the intensive toll that Autism or Mental Illness is taking on them, their families and their quality of life.

I have tried most everything under the sun, to cure my child's autism.  Our family has spent thousands on therapy, we gave up our home in the fight over appropriate autism services, we were relentless in our quest to reverse the autism.  Today, I have a more balanced approach to therapeutic measures for autism.  My prayer is that I would accept what I cannot change and find peace in that.  If I continue to fight against reality, reality will win and I will exhaust everything in the endless process.

Working the 12 Step Program adapted for Parents, I have gone from feeling like a victim, to loving my life.  Working the 12 Step Program I have been able to take loving care of myself and not feel guilty.  I now make self care a priority in my life.  I must recovery my peace of mind first, before I can be any use to my family. 

Working the Steps adapted for Parents, I have found a new way of coping with life.  I now practice a new way of thinking and acting that does not involve self destructive behaviors by insisting that things go as I want.  I daily admit my powerlessness to fix and control anything outside myself, most things inside myself.  I admit for today that I am powerless to control autism or mental illness and how it is affecting my family.  I am not responsible for "fixing" autism or mental illness.  I can find peace when I give this problem over to a Power Greater than myself to take care of and work out. 

If you decide that you want what so many already have, then you are ready for a FREE and simple program.  The purpose of this Blog is to inform as many as possible about how this works for parents struggling parenting a son or daughter of any age with autism or mental illness.  Please check out all the links to more information found on this page. 

The 12 Steps Adapted for Parent's Quality of Life "Recovery"

1. We admitted we were powerless over [Autism, Mental Illness, Others]--that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people whereever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. 
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.
11. 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.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other parents and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

[Adaptation of 12 Steps of Anonymous Recovery Groups]