What is Service Work?
The 12 Step movement explicitly places “our common welfare” at the forefront of its vision. It asserts that individual welfare depends on the support of a community of recovering people.
The 12th Step in the recovery process specifically states that as a result of “working” the 12 Steps, practitioners should commit to sharing the recovery message with others who can benefit. Thus, “service work” is a key feature of recovery. Service Work is usually practiced at 12 Step meetings, for example, by facilitating the meeting, making coffee, arranging chairs in the meeting room, sponsoring a new member of a group and other related volunteer activities. Participation as a volunteer in NAN is a form of service work.
Service Work also has another benefit — it helps newcomers break the isolation that so often results from the damage that addiction can inflict on to relationships.