YES Recovery Document
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This is the public domain document of the Yes Recovery movement. This document circulates on the Internet and elsewhere, regarding addiction and recovery. The movement has no fees or dues, no rules and no other documents. Anyone can start an autonomous group without permission.
Preamble
You can start your own recovery group!
No fees, no rules, no head office, no books, no permission needed, your beliefs respected.
Simply copy this YES Recovery Document in full and without additions, commit to personal recovery, start a group, connect with other groups, and pass it on.
YES Recovery Document begins
Contents |
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The YES Recovery Document
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YES Recovery
An alternative to God-based recovery, with thanks to the 12-Step movement.
If you have a problem with drugs, we can help
- free of charge
- free of religion
- confidential
- no professionals
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YES Recovery
Just recovering addicts helping each other stay drug free.
As our 12 Traditions affirm, anyone may copy and use this Yes Recovery Document but only in full and without additions, and begin their own group any time.
Any group abiding by the 12 Traditions exists as a YES Recovery group and requires no further organization. Groups may organize and correspond with each other in any way they choose, according to the 12 Traditions.
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Preamble to the 48 Precepts
- a) Miserable and fearing the loss of our minds or our lives, we came looking for ways to grow beyond our self-defeating appetites for drugs.
- b) We follow the intuitions of the higher self that we believe exists in each of us. We welcome spiritual comfort and power, and any loving energies that help restore our feelings and our integrity.
- c) Nurturing our hopes and our consciences, we take our steps gently and easily, one day at a time, liberating ourselves from slavery, hopelessness and self-delusion.
- d) We acknowledge our debt to previous recovery fellowships and appreciate any others who help suffering addicts.
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The 48 Precepts
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Our Steps
- We admit to ourselves and another person that by our beliefs, and our ways of behaving and thinking, we have damaged our own bodies, minds, emotions and spirits. We thus begin to cultivate an increasing attitude of hope.
- Striving to balance self-reliance with mutual support, we make a decision to take full responsibility for our recovery.
- Discovering that thinking can follow behaviour, we write how we intend to change our daily actions to more healthy directions.
- We make a decision to avoid whichever substances and situations have held us back in our personal growth and health.
- We first write, and then share with another person, a searching, thorough and honest inventory of our character, describing our assets, but also facing our defects and shortcomings.
- Though we might stumble, each day we renew our dedication to correct thinking and the best principles revealed by our higher thinking.
- We make a list of all persons we have harmed, promptly and humbly making amends.
- We make a daily commitment to abstain from harmful substances, and try to base our thinking on the principle of ‘yes’ rather than ‘no’.
- So we do not self-deceive, we commit ourselves to admit our errors, correct them, and move on without wallowing in guilt, self-hatred or self-pity.
- We try to take what we learn to suffering addicts, inside and outside our meetings, wherever we find them.
- In an attitude of gratitude we honour those who cared for us and those who will come after us, by maintaining recovery and doing group service.
- Accepting that healing and growth proceed in Nature’s time, we regularly affirm that the past has gone and the future grows from the seeds we sow today.
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Our Traditions
- The newcomer who desires to stop using fulfils the only requirement for membership and becomes our most important member. We welcome any adult. This program does not consider belief in any deity or deities a requirement or an impediment. As people of many faiths, we do not disapprove of any such beliefs.
- Holding self-reliance as the foundation of our personal and group goals, we decline external support. We have no fees to pay beyond gratitude donations, nor rules to obey, beyond a commitment to principled behaviour.
- We have no leaders but each group may elect trusted servants.
- Mentors commit themselves to assisting the recovering addict. Members may change mentors freely.
- In order to avoid the pitfalls of commercialism, ego and cultism, our public relations policy urges the avoidance of publicity. Groups may place plain and truthful advertisements to spread our message.
- Acting as an autonomous unit, each group makes democratic decisions according to the consciences its members. Failure or bad behaviour by any group does not reflect on any other group, and we do not litigate against each other.
- We aim to help suffering addicts, not to create dogmas, politics, corporations or publishing houses. Having faith in the right and ability of addicts to manage their own recoveries and groups, we have no office, employees, property, surplus funds, bureaucracy, text book, scriptures, rules, permanent bank accounts, sponsorships, grants, copyrights, trademarks, hierarchy, nor publications except meetings lists and this YES Recovery Document of which we encourage free copying. Groups may operate temporary bank accounts to organise conventions.
- Any gathering of two or more people that follows and displays this YES Recovery Document alone, unaltered and in full constitutes a YES Recovery group.
- YES Recovery groups have no opinion publicly on any matter except that we believe that addicts need not consider themselves powerless over addiction nor their lives.
- We encourage solidarity and try to tame our egos in case we find our primary purposes hampered.
- We may belong to any other group and practise any way of life we choose.
- We respect anonymity and confidentiality.
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Our Suggestions
- We keep away from our addictive substances, and don’t pick up -one day at a time. When we feel down or tempted, we contact another member.
- We attend, wherever possible, 90 meetings in the first 90 days.
- As soon as possible, we ask another member to become our mentor, who helps us in recovery.
- We join a Home Group and stick close by other members in solidarity and service, as isolation can invite obsessive thinking and relapse.
- The first year, we think of ourselves as ‘impatient patients’. We can’t expect to feel wonderful in the first year because recovery builds slowly on itself. By habit we feel impatient, but Nature acts slowly, as a growing tree will show us. Consequently, we will aid our recovery by not placing on ourselves great expectations of comfort or serenity in at least our first drug-free year. We suggest that in the first year, the recovering addict refrain from: big decisions, especially in relationships; stressful work and studies; and ambitions far beyond progressive recovery of health.
- We strongly suggest abstinence from all alcohol and mood-altering drugs. We warn that alcohol and some drugs cover up inhibitions and often lead to relapse into addiction to other substances.
- Although we consider Relapse entirely undesirable, if it occurs we can learn from it. Less damage results when we prevent a lapse from becoming a relapse. When relapse occurs, we find it best to put embarrassment aside and promptly recommit to recovery.
- We value above all else, our growing responsibility and self-reliance. Therefore it remains up to our own consciences whether we identify as “drug free today”, according to our own definition of “drug free”.
- We avoid the HALTS: becoming too hungry, angry, lonely, tired, thirsty or serious; we try to keep a sense of humour, and we consider it all right to stumble – as long as we stumble forwards.
- While recognising that we must make our own recovery a priority, we try not to develop grossly self-centered personal philosophies, because other people matter as much as we.
- The program suggests groups create formats that allow for new and old members to share, for discussion of our precepts, and a regular Group Conscience for decision making.
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Our Principles
- YES over NO ... solution-oriented thinking: affirmation rather than confusion; light rather than darkness; love rather than hatred; can rather than cannot; faith and hope rather than doubt; solutions rather than problems; courage rather than fear.
- Honesty ... without which communities disintegrate and individuals self-delude and lose sanity.
- Living in the day ... which rewards us with awareness of simple pleasures and enables us to realize attainable goals.
- Respect ... because we consider ourselves worthy of giving and receiving it.
- Self-reliance ... because we realise that we alone hold responsibility for our own recovery and correct behaviour out in the world.
- Healthy living ... which in time will restore our bodies, minds, emotions and spirits to excellent balanced condition.
- Humility ... because we see ourselves as essentially no better or worse than others.
- Compassion ... since we have learned a little humility and know that others have feelings and needs as well.
- Patience ... necessary to recover from illness and which tempers desperation and compulsion.
- Forgiveness ... because it frees us from poisoning ourselves and others with resentment, and because we must forgive ourselves.
- Contemplation of the world’s wisdom, individually and in our meetings ... because humanity’s many paths give new ideas for self-improvement, serenity and happiness.
- Activity ... because we have much to do in this world for ourselves and others. Activity includes service ... as we foster our gratitude for our liberation, we have a responsibility to help others get well.
YES Recovery
If you have a problem with drugs, we would like to help.
Our meetings: ……………………………………………………
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You can start your own recovery group!
No fees, no rules, no head office, no books, no permission needed, your beliefs respected.
Simply copy this YES Recovery Document in full and without additions, commit to personal recovery, start a group, connect with other groups, and pass it on.
No copyright
Created in 2000
Revised November 1, 2003
YES Recovery Document ends