The first “twelve step program” was used by Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1930s. “The 12-step chocoholics program: Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate” is a jocular statement that has been cited in print since at least 2000. The one-line saying has been credited to “Terry Moore,” who is possibly the comic book artist named Terry Moore and not the actress Terry Moore.


Wikipedia: Twelve-step program
A Twelve-Step Program is a set of guiding principles (accepted by members as ‘spiritual principles,’ based on the approved literature) outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems. Originally proposed by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) as a method of recovery from alcoholism, the Twelve Steps were first published in the book Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism in 1939. The method was then adapted and became the foundation of other twelve-step programs

Google Groups: alt.penpals.forty-plus-yrs
Spuddie
1/4/00
(...)
~~~The 12-step chocoholics program: Never Be More Than 12 Steps Away From Chocolate!~~~ (Terry Moore)

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Lois
1/8/00
(...)
“The 12-step chocoholics program: Never Be More Than 12 Steps Away FromChocolate!”
-- Terry Moore

30 January 2003, The Daily Reflector (Greenville, NC), “International Chocolate Festival benefits eastern North Carolina agencies” by Kim Grizzard
Q: Why is there no such organization as Chocoholics Anonymous?
A: Because no one wants to quit. It’s been said that the 12-step program for chocoholics has just one rule: Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate.

Google Books
The Chocolate Mouse Trap:
A Chocoholic Mystery
By JoAnna Carl
New York, NY: Signet (New American Library)
2005
Pg. ?:
“The 12-step chocoholic program: NEVER BE MORE THAN 12 STEPS AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE!” —Terry Moore

Google Books
Savannah Classic Desserts:
Recipes from Favorite Restaurants
By Janice Shay and Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn
Gretna, LA: Pelican Pub Co.
2008
Pg. 88:
“The chocoholics 12-step program: Never be more than 12 steps away from chocolate!” — Terry Moore.

4 February 2012, Times-Mail (Bedford and Lawrence County, IN), “The dark side of chocolate” by Carol Johnson:
“The 12-step chocoholics program: Never Be More Than 12 Steps Away From Chocolate!”