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• Twelve Step
  Twelve Step

  adjective

  of or based on a program for recovery from addiction originating with Alcoholics Anonymous and providing 12 progressive levels toward attainment.
• twelve-step
  twelve-step

  adjective

  of or relating to a method of treatment for addiction which consists of twelve stages and stresses the need for patients to acknowledge their problem and to take personal responsibility for it

Twelve Step

American  

Or 12-step

adjective

1. of or based on a program for recovery from addiction originating with Alcoholics Anonymous and providing 12 progressive levels toward attainment.

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twelve-step British  

adjective

1. of or relating to a method of treatment for addiction which consists of twelve stages and stresses the need for patients to acknowledge their problem and to take personal responsibility for it

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Other Word Forms

• 12-stepper
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Twelve Step

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Twelve Step twelve-step

"A patient's treatment plan may include medication, seeing a trauma specialist or getting more support from Twelve Step meetings, depending on an individual’s needs."

From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2024

In the late nineteen-nineties, she took over the leadership of the Church of Today, a Christian congregation in the Detroit area, which was known for running a plethora of twelve-step programs.

From The New Yorker ● Aug. 14, 2019

This is a common impulse among people in recovery; it’s the foundation of twelve-step programs, too—people sharing their experiences with one another.

From Time ● Jan. 19, 2016

Today the disease definition is used by twelve-step programs around the world, though its meaning continues to morph and vary from group to group.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2015

In earlier studies, Witkiewitz and her colleagues found Vipassana, a Buddhist meditation practice, to be more effective at preventing drug relapse than either cognitive behavioral therapy or twelve-step programs.

From The New Yorker ● Mar. 30, 2015

Ever since the first can appeared 150 years ago, manufacturers have had to follow a costly and complicated twelve-step process of rolling tinplate or aluminum, then punching, curling and welding a three-piece can.

From Time Magazine Archive