The People Who Recover in Cocaine Anonymous

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The people who recover in this fellowship are not different from anyone else. They are not the strongest, the most disciplined, or the most enlightened. They are not immune to fear, ego, or doubt. They are simply the ones who became willing—willing to get honest, willing to follow direction, and willing to admit that they couldn’t do this alone.

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Cocaine Anonymous is built on thirty-six spiritual principles: Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of Service. These are not rules or theories. They are spiritual tools that give us a way to live—first free from cocaine and all other mind-altering substances, and then free from the fear, dishonesty, and isolation that addiction created in us.

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We didn’t invent these principles. They were given to us, lived by countless others before us, and passed down so that anyone suffering from addiction could find recovery here.

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We begin with the Twelve Steps. These are the actions we take to find freedom from the patterns that were destroying our lives:

The Twelve Steps of Cocaine Anonymous

1. We admitted we were powerless over cocaine and all other mind-altering substances—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

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

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

10. We continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

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

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These Steps are not to be studied in theory—they are meant to be lived. Taken in order. Practiced daily. Each one builds on the last, and none can be skipped if we want the freedom we promise.

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But the Steps alone are not enough. We don’t just recover as individuals—we recover together. Without unity, humility, and connection, we risk losing what we’ve been given. That’s why we also practice the Twelve Traditions—not as restrictions, but as spiritual boundaries that keep our fellowship healthy and whole.

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The Twelve Traditions of Cocaine Anonymous

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon C.A. unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

3. The only requirement for C.A. membership is a desire to stop using cocaine and all other mind-altering substances.

4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or C.A. as a whole.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the addict who still suffers.

6. A C.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the C.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Every C.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. Cocaine Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. C.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. Cocaine Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the C.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and television.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

 

These Traditions are how we stay free together. They protect our unity, prevent division, and teach us how to serve with humility instead of ego. They remind us that the fellowship is not about control or recognition—it’s about shared responsibility, love, and service.

 

And service is what sustains it all.

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Carrying the message isn’t optional—it’s how we stay free. But it must be done with clarity, humility, and purpose. That’s why we also practice the Twelve Concepts of Service, which guide how we work together, make decisions, and uphold the spirit of recovery throughout our structure.

 

The Twelve Concepts of Cocaine Anonymous

1. The final responsibility and ultimate authority for C.A. world services should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship.

2. The C.A. groups delegate to the service conference the complete authority for the active maintenance of our world services.

3. As a traditional means of creating and maintaining a clearly defined working relationship between the groups, the Conference, the World Service Board, and its service corporations, staffs, committees, and executives, we rely upon the “Right of Decision.”

4. Throughout our structure, we maintain the “Right of Participation,” ensuring that every level of service allows for an equal voice and representation.

5. The “Right of Appeal” ensures that minority opinions are heard and considered before decisions are finalized.

6. The Conference recognizes that the chief initiative and active responsibility in most world service matters should be exercised by the World Service Board.

7. The Board of Trustees has legal rights while the Conference has the ultimate authority; this balance preserves accountability and trust.

8. The Trustees are the principal planners and administrators of world services, guided by the group conscience of the Fellowship.

9. Good leadership is indispensable in all our service efforts.

10. Every service responsibility should be clearly defined, and authority should be equal to the responsibility assigned.

11. We rely upon proper balance between careful thought, consultation, and trusted leadership in carrying out service work.

12. In all our affairs, we strive for spiritual principles to guide service—placing unity and love above self-interest.

 

Together, the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts form the foundation of our recovery. They show us how to live, how to serve, and how to stay connected to one another and to a Power greater than ourselves.

 

We don’t just stay clean—we grow. We change. We find purpose. And through this fellowship, we discover that what once was our greatest weakness becomes our greatest strength: the ability to help another addict find freedom.