Twelve Steps

The heart and soul of our program is centered in our clients having a spiritual experience, an inward re-arrangement of their ideas, emotions, and attitudes towards life. An awakening to their spirits within must manifest, and the vehicle for bringing that change about is the twelve steps. Because we are a long term residential program our clients will work and complete all twelve steps during their length of stay. We utilize several tools to accomplish that objective: sponsors from twelve step recovery groups; meetings outside the facility five out of seven nights plus two in-house meetings. We extend an invitation to members of twelve step groups to attend our in-house meetings. We utilize other tools to monitor the client's progress through the twelve steps.

It has been our experience that our clients have never been convinced to their innermost selves they are real alcoholics/addicts. We know that because of what they have been un-willing to do on a daily basis once they left other treatment centers. We spend a lot of time helping the clients to have a first step "experience". It is from that "experience" that the willingness to complete steps two through twelve will manifest. Working closely with their sponsors our client's progress through the steps over time and we get the opportunity to watch the internal re-arrangement take place and begin to show up in their daily interaction with their peers and staff.

Contact Burning Tree Lodge for Information on 12 Steps