A Pole Addict's 12 Step Program: Step 12

A Pole Addict's 12 Step Program: Step 12

A GUIDE TO RE(DIS)COVERY: Step 12

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Step 1: We admitted and submitted to our addiction.
Step 2: We recognized that our addiction has restored our sanity by helping us learn to love ourselves, our bodies and our sensuality.
Step 3: We learned that, although our addiction is a healthy one, we must nurture it slowly. We must take the time to create a unique, creative and safe relationship with the pole.
Step 4: We realized we should carry no shame about our addiction despite the ignorance and misunderstanding of close-minded people outside of our community.
Step 5: We learned not to let fear, insecurity or other people's opinions get in the way of our healthy addiction.
Step 6: We discovered ways to treat the side-effects of our addiction which include bruises, rips, burns and muscle soreness.
Step 7: We realized that there's no room for perfectionism in pole dancing and discovered ways not to a.) become so obsessive to the point we hurt ourselves b.) delay our progress & our goals for fear of failure or c.) become hypersensitive to constructive criticism.
Step 8: We learned how to successfully and effectively "come out of the closet" as a pole addict to friends, family and co-workers.
Step 9: We found ways to embrace the anti-polers, pole-choicers and pro-polers into our lives.
Step 10: We learned to nurture our addiction with great care; making sure we train safely and progressively with a focus on proper bio-mechanics, good technique while adding our own unique style.
Step 11: We learned how our pole addiction has helped us to discover our personal power, our tenacity plus our physical, emotional and artistic fortitude.
Step 12: Now, it's our responsibility to continue practicing and sharing the previous 11 steps with other pole addicts and prospective pole addicts. By doing so, we add to our individual and collective strength as a community. In fact, the power of solidarity is what will continue propelling pole dancing into the mainstream without the need to sacrifice our integrity to our sensual and athletic art-form.
Thank you so much for participating in A Pole Addict's 12 Step Program. Ours truly is an addiction to be proud of. Let's continue growing and thriving as a community; supporting one another as we strive to embrace our individual addictions. Everyone's addiction is different. Everyone's response to addiction is different. Everyone's rate of progress through the 12 Steps is different. As it should be.