The 12 steps were first published in 1939 through Alcoholics Anonymous. Many millions of people since have used the steps to find sobriety and recovery from many other addictions and destructive coping strategies including Intimacy Avoidance. If you, as an Intimacy Avoidant, will embrace the work of recovery, it will be a transformational journey. We view Intimacy Avoidance as an operating system that impacts and permeates every area of an IA's life; mostly and specifically in how they treat, think about, and engage (or not) in their primary romantic relationship. Though we do not view Intimacy Avoidance as an addiction, we do believe that the 12 steps are very effective at addressing problems arising from this issue. The 12 Steps to Becoming Well from Intimacy Avoidance includes: • Goals : What are you trying to understand, experience breakthrough in, and accomplish throughout each completed step. • Expectations : What you should to grow and experience from working any given step. • Hurdles : Things that make completing steps more difficult and ways to overcome those. • In-depth questions : Dozens of questions within each step asked in pointed and specific ways to help you deepen your recovery. • Step Summary Questions : These help solidify what you learned, discovered, and come to grips with during each step.