Back to the Basics of Recovery
Working the Steps “quickly and often.” All Twelve Steps in four Saturday sessions, each attendee paired with a sharing partner.
About the workshop
Back to the Basics of Recovery is a structured, workshop-style approach to working the Twelve Steps, originally developed by Wally P. (Wally Patton), an Alcoholics Anonymous archivist and historian. The program traces its roots to the early days of AA in the 1940s, when members commonly took newcomers through the Steps in a matter of weeks — not months or years — as part of a collective spiritual awakening.
Wally's first book, Back to Basics, reintroduced this original, action-oriented method by revisiting the straightforward process used by AA's pioneers. After years of sharing this material around the world and seeing its effectiveness in treatment centers and recovery groups of all kinds, he revised and expanded the program into Back to the Basics of Recovery, adapting the principles and process to address all forms of addiction, not just alcoholism.
This version retains the same foundation — clear instructions, guided worksheets, and a four-session format — while embracing the spiritual principles common to all Twelve Step fellowships. The message is simple: anyone can recover if they are willing to take the Steps quickly and often.
For members of Porn Addicts Anonymous, it offers a practical, time-tested framework for experiencing the Steps in a focused and repeatable way. Rather than spending years analyzing the program, participants are encouraged to take action, share the process with others, and continue cycling through the Steps as a way of life. We set out to bring this to as many people as possible on a regular basis — starting with a single workshop every other month, then monthly, then weekly sessions.
In Wally's words, this approach helps us “get back to the basics,” to the heart of what makes the Twelve Steps work: honesty, willingness, humility, and connection with others.