Step 5

“When first approaching Step Five, it can be a bit daunting, but in my experience, this Step separates those who are going to do well from those who skip Steps 4 & 5 (who often end up relapsing at some point down the line).

I discovered that when I finally did this Step properly, and we’d talked about all of the things I’d done in my active addiction, or that had happened to me, I found that this Step gave me a massive boost.

Not only did I have no big secrets left after doing this Step, but I also realised that a lot of the things that I’d been through or had happened, were more common than you might think and that other people often had often made similar if not worse mistakes than I had, at times.

It was the first time I’d talked about a lot of the stuff that I’d internalised, and it was so powerful when I realised that I had a forgiving Higher Power rather than the punishing God that I’d always expected. It was a massive relief.

For me, Step 5 was the end of my isolation and loneliness.

Step 5 also gave me a list of attributes that I would need to work on in order to live a more comfortable and contented life.“