We believe in putting principles before personalities.

A hallmark of recovery, the concept of putting principles before personalities is a unique challenge in an environment designed to help struggling teens.  Incorporated from the Twelfth Tradition of Alcoholics Anonymous which states anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities, this belief helps us to remember how to keep our priorities straight amidst the challenges of life.  This belief helps us to keep fresh in our minds an idea that can be heard in many program rooms, we will loose whatever we place above our recovery.

As our students grow into young adults, the challenge of this belief is varied.  An inherent issue of adolescent development revolves around the acquisition of meta-cognition.  The ability to orientate our life by abstract principles is difficult if one has not developed this function.  Therefore, teens naturally rely on personality distinctions to order their world.  On top of that challenge, many of our students struggle with co-dependent issues.

The four absolutes provide a compass to incorporate the spiritual principles of recovery into our lives.  They help us to navigate whatever challenges life throws our way; especially two of the most difficult tests of life, change and loss.  Placing principles over personalities allows us to foster our humility, to treat each other as equals, and to orientate our efforts toward our common goal: growing along spiritual lines.