The 12 Steps of Prodependence Anonymous

The 12 Steps of Prodependence Anonymous are the foundation of our program. We have based our version of the steps on the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. We owe a debt of gratitude to the founders and members of AA for creating and developing a deep understanding of how and why these steps can and do lead practitioners toward happier, more intimately connected lives.

The 12 Steps of Prodependence Anonymous read as follows:

  1. We admitted we were powerless over our attempts to heal those we love – 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 understand God.
  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 how our actions have harmed ourselves and others.
  6. Were entirely ready to have God remove our self-defeating actions and beliefs.
  7. Humbly asked God to remove our self-defeating actions and beliefs.
  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 wherever 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 understand God, praying only for knowledge of God’s 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 others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The 12 Traditions of Prodependence Anonymous

The 12 Traditions of Prodependence Anonymous are what keep our program operating with the least possible strife. They are the governing principles of our program. As with the 12 Steps, the 12 Traditions or Prodependence Anonymous are based on the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous. As such, we owe a debt of gratitude to the founders and members of AA for creating and developing these much-needed guidelines.

The 12 Principles of Prodependence Anonymous read as follows:

  1. Our common welfare should come first; personal healing depends on group unity.
  2. For our group purpose, there is but one ultimate authority – a loving Higher Power (as each of us understands that Higher Power). Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
  3. The only requirement for Prodependence Anonymous membership is a desire to develop healthier relationships.
  4. Each Prodependence Anonymous group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups of Prodependence Anonymous as a whole.
  5. Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its message to individuals who are struggling to help and connect with troubled loved ones.
  6. A Prodependence Anonymous group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the Prodependence Anonymous name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert use from our primary purpose.
  7. Every Prodependence Anonymous group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
  8. Prodependence Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, though our service organization may employ special workers.
  9. Prodependence Anonymous should never be organized, but we may create service boards of committees directly responsible to those they serve.
  10. Prodependence Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence, the Prodependence Anonymous name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
  11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV, and films.
  12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.