Step 05

Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

1. Primary principle(s): acceptance, honesty, confession, fearlessness
2. Other principles: courage, faith, surrender, humility, integrity, perseverance, trust, timeliness, fulfillment, compliance, diligence, peace, propriety

Readings:

• Big Book - pp 72-75
• Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions - pp 55-62
• Step Five: the Importance of Being Choosy”, May 2005 AA Grapevine
• “Stepping Stones to the Spirit”, May 1995 AA Grapevine

I was over 8 years sober before I was properly led through a 4th and 5th step. It’s not that the help wasn’t there, I was just not ready to receive it.

As with so much else in the program of AA, I was right “on time” for my recovery - I simply had to be beaten into a state of reasonableness by the circumstances in my life.