Requirement for Membership in Twelve Step Programs

The only requirement for membership in Twelve Step programs is a desire to stop doing whatever your drug may be (alcohol or other drugs). This basic principle is important to keep in mind so that you do not compare yourself out of recovery in AA or NA or other such self-help groups. You do not need to have lost everything, been to jail, lived on the streets, etc. All you need for membership is a desire to stop using; this desire will be the result of a host of different negative experiences depending upon the individual. So, what matters is not how you arrived at your decision to seek help, but the fact that you have.