“We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”
Step 5 Alcoholics Anonymous recovery.
Writing an inventory of all the things we’ve held onto from our past can be exhausting. And we might even feel like we’ve done enough to move forward on our sobriety path. But this step requires you to admit to another person what you believe led you to do the things you did. You will actually share your thoughts and feelings about the wrongdoings of your past.
“Sometimes painful but always rewarding, the incredible emotional and mental relief you will feel (coupled with profound personal insight) makes the fifth step a valuable exercise. Successful completion of step 5 marks a return to sanity, and a much clearer recognition of who and what we are.”
https://www.jasonwahler.com/12-steps-of-aa/step-five-of-aa-alcoholics-anonymous, Breaking Down Step 5 of AA, by Jason Wahler, 5/2/2020.
It’s natural to ask ourselves, “Isn’t admitting to ourselves and to God enough?” But that’s just part of the healing process. All healing requires we go through a process to achieve lasting recovery. It could be physical therapy, mental/emotional counseling, even grief. If we stop part way through the recovery process we may never achieve long-term healing.
Don’t forget the goal isn’t just sobriety. The real goal of the 12 Steps is to lead you to the other side of your hurt and pain. By the time you reach the 12th step you will have discovered what it really means to be human—it’s to give back to others what they don’t have for themselves. And your personal experience of tragedy then healing may help another person on their own journey of recovery.
“By admitting and examining the specifics of our sin as we work Step Five, we find a pathway to the deeper core problems that lead us to wrongdoing.”
Project HEAL, Christ-centered Recovery Lessons, p. 19.
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