Page 82 in the big book (step-9)

[lostnfound1961]

I have been going to meetings now for about a month. I have also been reading the big book and this is one thing that realy struck a cord with me.
Step nine talks about making ameds and of course you have to face what you did wrong in order to do that. You can't just say your sober and thats enough. We need to clean up the messes we made in order to get past who we were and become who we should have been and could still be.

[We feel a man is unthinking when he says that sobriety is enough. He is like the farmer who came up out of his cyclone cellar to find his home ruined. To his wife, he remarked, "Don't see anything the matter here, Ma. Ain't it grand the wind stopped blowin?]

I have just started step 4 and when I focus and am honest with my self.... I can see that even though the wind has stopped blowing, I still have a lot of work ahead of me.

have a great day.
Dale

[Tazman53]

Dale step 4 is a precursor as you see to all the rest of the steps, I have my sponsees focus on the step they are working on. It looks as though you are focused on 4 but looking at 9, this can be a good thing if it helps you to do a more thorough inventory, but some folks will leave things off of thier inventory to avoid making the amends in step 9.

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

I had to be fearless in my 4th step, there were some folks that I was not ready to make amends to at the time I did my 4th, but my sponsor stressed trying to leave no stone unturned in my inventory, to be brutally honest with myself. There were folks in my inventory that I was not willing to make amends to when I did my 4th, but when I got to the 8th & 9th, I prayed for the willingness to make those amends and the willingness was granted.

BTW congrats on a month, and to be working the steps with a sponsor is an awesome step in the right direction.

[Sheryl85]

I agree that you are to be commended for the effort you are putting forth. And congrats on the month. If I can be so bold, I would like to suggest, like Taz suggested, that you work only one step at a time. The importance of the step you are on right now is, "If you don't examine your past, you can't change your future." My Step Study instructor says that. (He should know, he's been doing this thing successfully for Thirty-five years now and he walks what he talks.) The importance of that statement is that by examination we start to learn what we need to have changed (Steps Six and Seven) and who we owe amends to (Step Eight).

While I'm at it, I might as well make another suggestion. If you haven't already gotten one get a sponsor. A sponsor can be invaluable in giving guidance through these areas.

Keep us informed on how you are coming along.