1
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But we must not use this as a mere excuse to postpone.
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We grow accustomed to the prison of secrets we have built for ourselves. We fear replacing the cruel but familiar tyrant of self will with the, as yet unknown, guidance of God. We procrastinate because we are prideful and wish others to believe in the false character we present. Admitting to God, to ourselves and another person who we really are and what our actual motivations have been allows us to be free to live this new way of life.
4
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We explained to our partner what we are about to do, and why we have to do it. He should realize that we are engaged upon a life-and-death errrand.
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We are about to admit to another person the exact nature of our wrongs. We are going to discuss our deepest motives, exactly what it is in us that makes us act the way we do. We will discuss our selfishness, our self-seeking actions, our dishonesty and fears. The reason we reveal our innermost selves is that we must if we are to gain lasting sobriety. We are attempting to learn a way of life based on humility, fearlessness and honesty. We are willing to discuss our shortcomigs because our very lives depend upon our beginning the practice of the steps.
8-15
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Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in they eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.
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The list of promises, which are the results of taking our Fifth Step, make it all worthwhile. This is a very practical program. It works! If we did not realize results from adopting these practices we would abandon them. One benefit is that humility replaces humiliation. Instead of the pain of humiliation we gain the peace of forgiveness. We are able to forgive ourselves for being human and full of faults. We can see the path ahead that leads us to the type of life we have always wished we could live.
Experience is the best teacher. We gain experience be repeated practice of the techniques explained in each of the 12 steps. This is our own personal experience gained through direct application of spiritual principles to solve our problems. As we progress we develop faith that God will give us the help we need.
16-23
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Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. Is our work solid so far? Are the stones properly in place? Have we skimped on the cement put into the foundation? Have we tried to make mortar with sand?
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These are specific instructions for preparing for the sixth step. We become entirely ready to have God remover our defects of character by taking the five previous steps. Our admitssion of powerlessness over alcohol and unmanageability of our lives turns us necessarily to a Power greater than ourselves. Making the decision to turn our lives over to the care of God sends us on the quest to face and be rid of the things in us that block us off from God. By idenifying our failings and admitting them to God, ouselves, and another human being, we become entirely ready to have God remove them.
The admissioin of our defects brings us closer to God. When we draw close, God is revealed to us (57:12). The instruction for this prayer is simple. The expression of our gratitude to God places us in the proper frame of mind to continue with the next steps.
An arch is a stable and strong structure capable of withstanding pressure and strain. The component pieces of an arch work together to support themselves, thus each component part of the arch is necessary. The omission of any part of the arch will cause the whole structure to fall.
Source:
The Annotated AA Handbook
Frank D