THE 12 STEPS OF PREVENTIANON

Adapted from the 12 Steps of Al-Anon and AA, but not in any way representing those organizations or claiming any endorsement from them.

If you want to find out what AA and Al-Anon means by "alcoholic" call 411 (information) and ask for the telephone number of a representative, who can help you find an "open meeting" (that's the phrase). 12-step self-helpers do not label people. They use an operational definition -- someone is welcome if they're having trouble managing their lives because of (whatever; depending on the group -- alcohol, food, narcotics, etc.)

Similarly, these "12 Steps of Preventianon" are a suggestion for people working as specialists and professionals who have found themselves beating their heads against the wall trying to prevent problems of psychoactive mismanagement. No one is being labeled or stigmatized by this suggestion.

1) We admitted that we were powerless over substance abuse-- That our lives had become unmanageable.

Abandoning the "us against them" mentality, like the ATF against pot growers, the DEA against smugglers and corruption in foreign governments, inconsistent pronouncements about what "drugs" are and why they are a problem, and legalistic settlements against our own citizens and businesses, on whose taxes we depend. A concession of inability to stop recreational psychoactive consumption, whether abusive or benign. Cessation of the "war on drugs" (not the same as surrendering). Along with this would go a complete abandonment of involuntary treatment of those guilty of legal infractions regarding contraband psychoactive substances.

2) Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

The awareness growing that an enlightened citizenry, practicing the principles of Psychoactive Management, can provide rational questions and effective solutions.

3) Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Higher Power as we understood this concept.

As government and other official agencies dedicated to the "war ib drugs" we announced that we would respond to the enlightened will of the public, in matters of psychoactive problem solving, and accept, from that source, input and decisions about what had gone wrong.

4) Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

An official effort among enforcement, prevention, and treatment authorities and agencies, to see what had gone wrong as a result of practicing half a century of erroneous beliefs and attitudes, and promoting distorted and misleading information to the public and to other governments, not with a "heads will roll" mind-set, but with a desire to improve things. Holding brainstorming sessions, maintaining anonymous suggestion boxes, and soliciting input from the public on related issues.

5) Admitted to our Higher Power, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Candidly revealing the discussions and conclusions with the public, and admitting to ourselves in official memoranda, and to other agencies, and to Wolf Blitzer, the exact reasons for and results of what had gone wrong.

6) Were entirely willing to have our Higher Power remove all these defects of character.

Developed willingness, to respond to our supervisors' and the enlightened public's recommendations for change.

7) Humbly asked our Higher Power to remove our shortcomings.

Explicitly requesting the aforementioned enlightened public, to have that come about, through downsizing, elimination of agencies and/or institutions, relocating bureau personnel, and so on.

8) Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

Creating a list of people and institutions that had been harmed as a result of the aforementioned mistakes, and became willing to make reparations, communicate apologies in writing, enact administrative forgiveness, restore property seized, and so on.

9) Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Making direct amends to those people and institutions wherever possible, except when doing so would make things worse.

10) Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

Not closing the book on the subject. An ongoing effort to review our perception of our mandate, purpose, and activities, with an aim to avoiding future foulups.

11) Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with our Higher Power as we understood this term, praying only for knowledge of its will for us and the power to carry that out.

Continuing to seek enlightenment from our agency directors, the public, and others having control over us, and through ongoing internal sensitivity meetings and anonymous suggestion boxes, desiring and asking only for understanding and the legislative tools to effect that understanding, in the area of Psychoactive Management.

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.

As a result of a change of outlook and values, we can explain our experience of the process to others, promoting similar change among other agencies not yet at our level of awareness or improved functioning, using ourselves as an example rather than exhorting or forcing other ones to change. The aim here is to offer service; the *aim* is not to effect change in other institutions or agencies, and the goal is to benefit ourselves in terms of practicing these Steps, under the guidance of our Higher Power.


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