In my own personal experience, it worked well for me to have a sponsor in a 12 step program to guide me through the steps.
I have no idea where the 'step a month' thing came from as I've heard it before. I would
never recommend that to anyone. The sooner I got all my garbage out, the better.
I originally went through a 30-day inpatient rehab back in 1986, and we were required to get through the first 8 steps before we left treatment. I'm grateful for that because it gave me a good start on recovery, and I had a sponsor before I ever got out.
Left to my own devices and thinking, I would have skewed the interpretation of the steps and botched them!
I actually do a written first step about once a year. It helps me tremendously to see how unmanageable my life had become (and still can, when I run on self-will), and the powerlessness in my life over other people.
