Into Action: Why You Should Do Your Fifth StepWhy should you do a fifth step? In case the above wasn’t enough reasons, you should do it because there are certain damaging memories or beliefs that can only live in the dark, and shining a light on them can banish them for good. An alcoholic leads a double life worthy of an Oscar award most of the time. More so than most people, the alcoholic is an actor who presents the character to the outside world that they want others to see. After completing step five of AA, we no longer have to do this. Once we have completed this step, we are able to look the world in the eye, let our fears fall away and feel at perfect peace and ease… “on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.” But don’t just take it from me. Check out what the “Big Book” of AA Alcoholics Anonymous says about working step five: “We will be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first: If we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. Time after time newcomers have tried to keep to themselves certain facts about their lives. Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably they got drunk. Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell. We think the reason is that they never completed their housecleaning. They took inventory all right but hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear; they only thought they had humbled themselves. But they had not learned enough of humility, fearlessness and honesty, in the sense we find it necessary, until they told someone else all their life story.” – A.A. Big Book, p. 72-73 Questions To Ask When Doing Your Fifth Step In AAIf you’ve been thinking about doing your fifth step of AA and perhaps putting it off, keep in mind that laying it all out there on the table provides a great opportunity to finally let all your stuff go. You get to flush out the cobwebs of your past that keep you stuck. Here are some questions to help guide and prepare you before and after doing Step Five: How long have I been living alone with my secrets and “wrongs”? How do I feel about admitting my wrongs (my secrets) to another? Am I ready to share and let go of anything that hinders my recovery? What reservations do I have about working my fifth step? Can I acknowledge and accept the exact nature of my wrongs? Do I believe that working my fifth step will make my life better? How? Did I set a time and place for my fifth step? When and where? Has my relationship with a higher power changed as a result of working the fifth step? How has my view of myself changed after working step five? Did I forget or you omit anything? If I am still clinging to something that doesn’t work, am I willing to ask for help in letting it go?
|