There were a few steps i needed to take before i was ready to make a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. This is also a guide and format for use or application of a. Learning the process of overcoming resentment literally saves the lives of people who are afflicted with the disease of alcoholism. Ive also included some prompt sheets and tables to aid you. The following checklist merely suggests what some people consider flaws. This is a sick person, how can i be helpful to him. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. Prayers from the big book of alcoholics anonymous big. It also has proper context for the harms, fears and sex conduct inventory. This inventory is not an exercise in beating yourself up. These 4th step worksheets use the wording from alcoholics anonymous the big book pages 6371. Though our decisionstep 3 was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once fast followed by a strenuous.
Step four of aas twelvestep program of recovery is infamously the scary one. In the resentment inventory, dont write across, do it in columns, i. As a technique to not miss any fears, then i look at any opposite of the fears i have already listed. Step 4 fear the second step proposition exercise on fear. Next we launched out on a course of vigorous action, the first step of which is a personal housecleaning, which many of us had never attempted. If you get these 4th step worksheets anywhere else they are likely not the originals and may have been changed or altered. List fears connected to resentment column four, question 4 and then any fears not connected to resentment heights, spiders, snakes, poverty, aids etc. The fear inventory to be able to twelfth step ourselves. Reprinted from the big book, alcoholics anonymous, with permission of a. I followed the advice given in the big book, and if fear was connected to a resentment, i listed it in brackets in that third column. Fears alcoholics anonymous aa by the book 4th step.
Nearly every serious emotional problem can be seen as a case of misdirected instinct. Aa speaker turn our will and our lives over to the care of god new 20 duration. As this step can be difficult, confusing, or sometimes overwhelming, we created this 4th step inventory guide to help outline the process, gives some prompts, and offer some tips for working this piece of your recovery. This 3 column 4th step is a good, accurate version of the 4th step. I tried to put together several tables one for each major defect resentments, fear, and conduct sexual and personal to aid in doing it the big book. These are the original 4th step guides and work sheetsused in the dallas b. A business which takes no regular inventory usually goes broke. Critique of chapter 5 of the big book step 4 aa agnostica. Look at the 3rd column and consider the opposite of each sentence to let the inventory reveal your fears behind each of. And i still prefer the big book and conference approved literature over whatever other authors might be suggested. That is why, coincidentally, the big books fourth step process focuses directly on resentments, fears, and harms.
How sad it is to see people spend their lives haunted by fear. Pity those who fear what they shouldnt and fear not what they should. Breaking these instructions down into three parts helps to hurry things along. It is more thorough than adding a 4th column because the harms can be more clearly addressed. Each worksheet has 4 or 5 columns to be filled in, one column. Pride lures us into making demands upon ourselves or upon others which cannot be met without perverting or misusing our godgiven instincts. These fourth step worksheets use the wording from alcoholics anonymous the big book pages 6371. Most of our patterns are set up in childhood and early adolescence. Look at the 3rd column and consider the opposite of each sentence to let the inventory reveal your fears. Bracket your fears next to every third column sentence as you write.
Breaking down step four of aa alcoholics anonymous jason. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves reading. The fourth step in depth can cure anxiety, depression, resentment, codependency and fear. People we have harmed big book, page 70, paragraph 3 we have listed the people we have hurt by our conduct, and are willing to straighten out the past if we can. The twelve step prayers were created using the text of the big book of alcoholics anonymous. God help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that i would cheerfully grant a sick friend. At first nearly every alcoholic we approached began to slip, if indeed he sobered up at all. Big book awakening 4th step workshop resentment examples and worksheets 122006. Mike presents a big book study podcast and thoughts on recovery. You can recover from alcoholism and addiction you can get over the mood swings, anxiety, and depression you can get off the mental and emotional rollercoasters you can gain better health you can discover a new design for living you can rebuild and recreate your life we know you can because we did. Below is a more indepth explanation of the step 4 inventory from the bba, including examples. There are many like this, but i think this is the best. You can use the 12 steps to overcome any addiction.
The joy of life is squeezed out of them by fear of failure, criticism, betrayal, change, rejection, loneliness, poverty, growing old, getting sick, losing ones job, and saying what is on their mind. Step 4 fear inventory form the big book authors indicate that the best way to deal with our fears is to do exactly what we did with resentments. There are many ways to do a 4th step inventory list. Step guide fourth step inventory big book study worksheets in step template aa 12 steps al anon alcoholics anonymous narcotics anonymous celebrate recovery sober life addiction recovery addiction therapy book study.
Hear recovered addict and big book mucker, cameron f. God, relieve me of this fear and direct my attention to what you would have me be. You can share what you felt about it while doing it. The worksheets were created by using the precise instructions in the big book to make taking the fourth step as easy and simple as possible. To be able to start on this step, the previous three steps must of course have been completed, so before starting check with your sponsor, spiritual advisor, counselor, etc. It is an effort to discover the truth about the stockintrade. The big book instructs us to inventory three common manifestations of selfwill. My hope is that these prayers will provide a framework for you to develop your own or. These 4th step worksheets use the wording from alcoholics anonymous the big book pages.
Step 4 fear inventory questions and list of fears step 4 sex inventory questions. The fear inventory is done in columns like resentments. When the word optional is used in the worksheets, it means that the big book suggests doing this but does not suggest writing anything down. There doesnt appear to be any big book stories that talk about turnarounds when describing their step work. Originally introduced in the big book of alcoholics anonymous, the fourth step states that we made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. See origins of aas 4th step moral inventory it is not mentioned in the big book text at any point. The text used to develop the prayers are shown at the end of the prayer in parenthesis. Fourth step inventory fears read from bottom of page 67 through 68 of the big book before beginning. The aa big book instructs us to write about fears hates, resentments guilts, or our sexual hangups. Fourth step inventory introduction to the 4th step. Here is the bba step 4 worksheets filled out as an example. The big book authors indicate that the best way to deal with our fears is to do exactly what we did with resentments. If the pop up window doesnt work in your browser click here for full page link.
Step four prayer freedom from resentment step 4 of the. Fourth step inventory episode 149 the recovery show. Best to begin step work with a prayer for guidance and revelation. The big book explains that we must make a list that includes all our resentments we have and have ever had, an account of sexual conduct and our fears. Everything contained in the fourth step inventory worksheets is directly from the book alcoholics anonymous. There are 4 worksheets, corresponding to the 4 inventory categories listed in the big book. Clearly, there is no historical references that we can find to anything called turnarounds from the founders or pioneers of aa. What is the nature of my wrongs, faults, mistakes, defects. Listed below is a awesome fourth step inventory charts, directions, and prompt sheets. Fear 12 twelve steps to recovery free, simple and proven. Many i know in the fellowship use this, my sponsor and sponsee. Though our decisionstep 3 was a vital and crucial step, it could have little permanent effect unless at once fast followed by a.
Fears read from bottom of page 67 through 68 of the big book before beginning. Others would stay dry six months or maybe a year and then take a skid. Page 67 of the book, alcoholics anonymous, states, resentment is the number one offender. Policy home early sobriety companion 4th step 10th step aa speaker app aa trivia whack contact. My only suggestion would be that anyone i work with finish their fourth step, especially the sex inventory, before considering a new romantic relationship. Origins of moral inventory aa the original way group. I recommend it as a teaching tool or if you are confused about the step 4 inventory and want a more. The fear list is an important part of ongoing maintenance in recovery. The big book coverage of step 4 is about being honest and admitting to ones faults, weaknesses, defects. All big book quotes taken from alcoholics anonymous first. No attention is given to the positive qualities of the person taking a self inventory, yet it is most important to remember our good qualities while dealing with the negative ones. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.