Bill L. from Dunellen, NJ and Mike L. from West Orange, NJ reading Into Action (pages 72 75) at a Big Book step workshop in West Orange, NJ

Hi everyone, my name is Mike. I am an alcoholic.

It's good to be back here this week. This is this is actually the 12th week that that we've been meeting here in our little big book step work group.

So again, I'm glad to be back. And for those that didn't get a handout, please take one.

As I said earlier, please bring this particular handout back next week.

It contains the information for the next two weeks.

I still don't think I'm fully recovered from the flu. My ears are kind of clogged up, so

I'm not contagious though. So, Bill, you can sit on my lap again

later. That's another meeting.

All right.

I was teasing Bill before the meeting. I said should I do a review of the last 11 weeks?

But basically for it, if this is your first time here and I do see a couple new people tonight. So welcome to both of you. It's always good to see a new face here

for you guys that that are here for your your first time. This is not a typical or a regular a a meeting. We're not even in the meeting book. We don't want to be in a meeting book and we're not a permanent a a meeting.

I guess Bill and I just came up with the name step work group and it kind of keeps us out of trouble. But we are. We're open to anyone who is seeking recovery from the Big Book, Alcoholics Anonymous. If you wish to do the 12 steps with us via the Big Book, you're welcome to join us.

There are people here from a ANAOA whole bunch of different kind of as

so if you're an A welcome.

You said recovery from the big book. I thought that meant that you read the big book and you have to go to a 12 step fellowship for it. Listen, you're not supposed to be here this week, so just keep your mouth shut.

I did notice I say that and I didn't want to correct myself and I'm sure I'll be saying lots of weird stuff like that tonight.

So I'm sure Bill will correct me

and I guess there'll be lots of tape at anything going on too. Basically what we've done over the past 11 weeks is probably one of the most longest in depth dissertations on the first four steps as outlined in the big book that personally I I've ever been involved with. But I, I think we've had a good time

speaking for myself. I've definitely, I've learned a lot more about the big book and I've learned a lot more about myself and I've learned more about this thing that that we called God and

we've come last week we finally finished the 4th step.

We spent anywhere from 5-6 or seven weeks on the first step.

We used information in the doctor's opinion and the first Bless you, and the first three chapters, chapters 1-2 and three to take us through the first step. We use chapter four. We agnostics to go through the second step and we use chapter 5, How It Works to go through steps 3:00 and 4:00. Tonight we will begin

Chapter 6 into action and Chapter 6

is a step chapter. It gives all the information for taking the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, and the 11th steps of our program recovery.

Before we get into the chapter, I'll just explain the handouts.

the

IT is printed on front and back. So there's a total of 10 pages, 10 sheets that is, but a total of 20 pages. So the first sheet front and back is an article called Hearing fist steps. We hear a lot about doing our first step and giving our fist step, but there's really not a lot of information in a A about hearing fist steps. So

this article certainly does not speak for a A as a whole, and

I don't necessarily agree with all of it, but it was something new and so I decided to throw it in here. And I'm sure I'll be sharing some of my experience with hearing fist steps when we get to that part of the chapter.

Pages 345345 are some thoughts that Bill compiled on Step 6 through 9.

Pages 6:00 and 7:00

comprise a very good article written by Kerry C, who's a friend of ours, and that article is entitled From Head to Heart.

Page 8 is a list of.

I forget how many defects we listed here. 60 some character defects

that you can use it if you choose to for for your six step. And if I think of it, I'll explain more about this handout when we get to that point. But

page 9 can be used when you do your seven step and Bill has been kind enough to bring bring along some seven step cards.

I believe one side of the card has a seven step prayer and the other side of card is similar to page 9 and a handout where

friend friend of ours did. We have a lot of time on our hands, but not that much. Left side of the card, as with page nine and a handouts

is a list of defects and the right side is a less a list of aspects, if you will, that that you can ask God to replace the defects with page 10 and a handout is various 7 step prayers.

11 and 12 are and we'll be using this for next week. Pages 11 and 12 are points regarding immense and restitution on the ninth step.

13 and 14 it's the same handout,

but this is a list that you can use for your eight step list. Again, you're not confined to this format, but if you're looking for a list or format to use, feel free to use this

and and pages 15 through 20 is entitled Promises Promises.

These were not compiled by Bill or myself, but by a friend of ours by the name of Dave F.

They've also equally has way too much free time on his hands.

And

you know, so often we hear at meetings about the 9th step promise or about the 12 promises of a A and

I, I think that's a misquote. It's actually the Knights that promises of Alcoholics Anonymous. And what Dave went and did was like a good algae, more is better. So he went through the 1st 164 pages of the Big Book, including the Doctor's opinion and the Roman numerals,

and he exerted all the statements that he believed to be promises.

That's it. Fernando's

OK, let's start on page 72, Chapter 6 into action.

Having made our personal inventory, what shall we do about it?

And again we made our personal inventory in step four. We have been trying to get a new attitude, Step 2, and a new relationship with our Creator, step three, and to discover the obstacles in our path, step four. We have admitted certain defects. We have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is. We have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory.

In our personal inventory, we took a look at our resentments, our fears, and our harms to others, with emphasis on our sex conduct.

Now these are about to be cast out, these weak items in our personal inventory, if you will, or our harms, or our faults, our shortcomings, our defects. All these things, all these different words that that Bill W is going to use and has used already mean the same thing. It's just these things which block us off from God,

he says. This action require this requires action on our part which when completed will mean that we have admitted to God,

to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our defects. Again

the 5th step as written on page 59 says the exact nature of our wrongs. And Bill never likes to use the OR rarely likes to use the same word twice. So he decided to change it to defects. Here again means the same thing that which blocks us off from a higher power.

This brings us to the fifth step in the program for recovery mentioned in the preceding chapter.

This is perhaps difficult. This Vista is perhaps difficult, especially discussing our defects with another person.

And I don't know about you guys, but when I was drinking, that was the last thing that I wanted to do. I can't ever remember stepping up to a bar and saying, Hey, bartender, would you come over here? I'd like to admit to you the exact nature of my wrongs.

So obviously

this could be difficult and it's not something that that we like to do. But I tell you what, after having done it a few times and after having had

a spiritual awakening as the result, as as doing these type of actions that the book talks about, I don't dislike doing this anymore. The part of me that time after time after time doing a fist step that does not like it

is my ego. That's what doesn't like it. See, the ego doesn't like to be smashed. The ego doesn't like to be looked at. You cannot defeat your own ego. But that part of me which is goodness, that part of me which is godliness, that part of me which is connected to Spirit, knows the benefits that time after time after time I've gotten out of taking this step.

We think we have done well enough in admitting these things to ourselves. There is doubt about that.

You know, again, we admitted these things to ourselves in the 5th step. And you know, I'm, I'm sure, I'm sure there, there's plenty of people that, you know, they complete their their four step and the proposition of sharing this thing with another human being is just so frightening that perhaps maybe they just stopped there.

And the big books going to give us some warnings about doing that.

It says in actual practice, we usually find a solitary self appraisal insufficient. Many of us thought it necessary to go much further. We'll be more reconciled to discussing ourselves with another person when we see good reasons why we should do so. The best reason first, if we skip this vital step, we may not overcome drinking. I think that's a good reason to do a fist step.

Time after time, newcomers have tried to keep themselves certain facts about their lives.

Trying to avoid this humbling experience, they have turned to easier methods. Almost invariably, they got drunk. Sounds like a pretty good warning to me, huh? Having persevered with the rest of the program, they wondered why they fell.

We think. We think the reason is they never completed their house cleaning.

They took inventory all right, but they hung on to some of the worst items in stock. They only and and notice the italicized words here.

They only thought they had lost their egoism and fear. They only thought they had humbled themselves, but they had not learned enough. Humility, fearlessness and honesty in the sense we find it necessary until they told someone else all again. Italicize all their life story.

Just want to read the last few lines again to personalize it

because I probably I probably said this in previous weeks, but I can go through this book and read the words they and we and and him and just think that they're talking about you. But when I stick my name in there, or when I stick I in there, it makes it real, personal.

So I only thought I had lost my egoism and fear. I had only thought I'd humbled myself. But I had not learned enough humility, fearlessness and honesty in the sense that a A finds it necessary until I told someone else all my life story.

Now the next, excuse me, the next couple paragraphs, Bill's going to hook us back into that actor analogy, that actor description that he talked about in the third step. He says more, more than most people. The alcoholic leads a double life. He is very much the actor to the outer world. He presents his stage character. This is the one he likes his fellows to see.

He wants to enjoy a certain reputation but knows in his heart he doesn't deserve it. And I am very susceptible to this type of behavior today.

And it's because of fear. It's because of self-centered fear.

Lo and behold, there's always that one thing on my inventory that ultimately I end up sharing it. But I'd really rather not share it, because I'd really rather not. You see me as that scared little boy that I can still sometimes be.

After all, I have over eight years sober. Don't you know I'm supposed to be Mr. A, a Mr. Spiritual man?

So the ego does doesn't like it when

when it's looked at. The ego doesn't like when when it's spied on, so to speak.

The inconsistency is made worse by the things he does on his breeze coming to his senses. He is revolted at certain episodes he vaguely remembers these memories are a nightmare and he Trump trembles to think someone might have observed him. As fast as he can, he pushes these memories far inside of himself. He hopes they will never see the light of day. He is under constant fear and tension and that makes for more drinking. So a good question I can ask myself today. And, and

for the people who have never been here before, what we like to do with this book is take as many statements as we can and turn them into questions to ask ourselves. And here's one of them here I can ask myself, am I under constant fear intention today, currently?

If so, is it possible that being under constant fear intention can make for drinking?

You know, again, this book, it talks about past tense, but I like to bring it today. Current

says psychologists are inclined to agree with us. We have spent thousands of dollars for examinations. We know, but few instances where we have given these doctors a fair break. We had seldom told them the whole truth, nor have we followed their advice. Unwilling to be honest with these sympathetic men, we were honest with no one else. Small wonder many in the medical profession have a low opinion of Alcoholics and their chance for recovery.

Very important statement here.

I must be entirely honest with somebody if I expect to live long or happily in this world.

Rightly and naturally, I think well before I choose the person or persons with whom to take this intimate and confidential step. And I used to think for a long time that

the only way to do a fist that was with one person.

And I believe that that's the right way for do for someone who has not done it before,

because it's, it's a big deal to scare to, to scare your inventory. It's a big deal to share your inventory and to possibly scare your inventory too, with just one other person, Especially when you're when you're brand new to sobriety and, and, and new to Alcoholics Anonymous and, and trying to live a spiritual path. But it took me a couple years or a few years before I noticed that this book says

person or persons.

So what I like to do with a fifth step today is I like to write a piece of inventory and share a fist at one-on-one. Let's say one time with Bill, one time with Daria, one time with John. And I like to do fish steps with 2-3 sometimes four people just based off of 1 inventory.

Again, I I wouldn't recommend that for your your first or second time through the steps.

But if you're really looking to get out your ego from a different angle, if you're really looking to smash your ego, I would strongly recommend trying that.

Bill and I have also had experiences and, and, and this can be frightening to to some, so I don't push it, but we've had experiences where

we've done fish steps with three people

and I know people that that have done it amongst four people. Again, this is not to suggest you should be doing your first step in a meeting or in small groups. And it's not even suggesting that that we're going to be doing that in this group. But these are some of some of the experiences that I've had last last fall. Bill, myself and another gentleman, we,

I guess it was about 12 hours we spent, I believe it was on a Saturday and

we started about 10:00 in the morning and we didn't get finished until around 10:00 or 11:00 in the evening. And it was real interesting how it worked out. One of one of us shared our inventory with the other two men and and then when that person was done, it went to the next man and and we just went on like that until the three people were done.

And the perspectives that you can get by doing that

is, is unbelievable. It's it's been extremely beneficial from it.

I don't like to just.

In the beginning, it was a real big deal just to tell, tell one person my entire life story, to tell one person

my defects. And it's a real humbling experience today to open up to as many pot as many people as I possibly can.

And again, that that works for me, that doesn't work for everybody, but my life's an open book today. And I, I really have nothing to hide. So I like to take that suggestion in the book where it says choose the person or persons

and notice it says this intimate and confidential step and over and over. Bill is going to repeat in the next page and 1/2 or so about how this is a confidential thing, you know, and I'll get more into that as I, as I read on. Those of us belonging to a religious denomination of which requires confession must, and of course will want to go to the properly appointed authority

whose duty it is to receive it.

It's talking about doing their first step with with a member of the clergy. Excuse me?

Back in 1939 when this book was originally published, we really didn't have a big fellowship.

So

the early pioneers of AAA, we're looking to share their inventories with with anyone that that they possibly could, anyone that they could find a confidence in and think that that they were trustworthy. They did it because, like I said, they're just, there weren't a lot of sponsors in, in Alcoholics and honest, there weren't a lot of a lot of people in our fellowship. So

one of the one of the ways they suggest that you do your first step is with a a member of the clergy.

Though we, meaning AA, have no religious connection, we may still do well to talk with someone or ordained by established religion. We often find such a person quick to see and understand our problem. Of course, we sometimes encounter people who do not understand Alcoholics.

I've been

doing fish steps for about

7, almost eight years

until I sought out a member of the clergy. And in this particular instance, it was a Catholic priest. And

I've been talking to a couple friends of mine in the fellowship. And I said, you know, I've heard other people do fish steps with, with a priest or a member of the clergy. And that's, that's just an experience I've never had, not because I, I didn't want to, but

I'm personally, I'm not really connected to any specific religion.

So I, I didn't have that opportunity to do that. But a friend of mine was able to hook me up with a Catholic priest who

is is also in our fellowship. He's he's been sober in a A for over 20 years. And I sought out this man and shared a fist step with him last fall and it was a real rewarding experience.

I would if someone weren't asked me what was the biggest thing you got out of doing a fifth step with a priest, I would say

I, I found out that I was not much different from that man. You know, I for years I looked at members of the clergy or, or religious people and just thought myself so much less than like they were somewhere up here and I was somewhere below that. And what this, what this gentleman was able to share with me is that

he goes through some of the same things at not only being a priest, but having over 20 years sobriety that I go through today. You know, he still suffers from fears. He still catches the occasional resentment.

I don't think he has many problems in in the line of of sex because he is a priest. But

you know that that's his particular case and we won't get into that at this meeting. But

that man helped me a lot. He he helped me a lot in, in regards to fears and he helped me a lot for me to just be reminded that we are all equals. Nobody in Alcoholics Anonymous, and do I dare say nobody on the face of this planet is any better than or worse than

we are. We are all children of the universe,

so it says. If we cannot or would not rather do this, meaning doing a fist step with a with a member of the clergy, we search. We search our acquaintance for a closed mouth understanding friend.

Some more guiding principles when looking for a person to do a fifth step.

When I do a fifth step with with a person, I make sure that there are closed mouth and understanding friend

and when I listen to a fist that I make sure that I am close mouth and I project to this person that I'm an understanding friend. Again, no holier than thou in a just another drunk and sharing experience, strength and hope to another.

Perhaps our doctor or psychologist will be the person. It may be one of our own family, but we cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our skin at another person's expense. Such parts of our story we tell to someone who will understand yet be unaffected. The rule is we must be hard on ourself, but always consider it of others.

Again, he's talking about sharing a fist step with a doctor or psychologist or a family member. And like I said before, they were looking to to share their inventory with anyone that they could. We're, we're really fortunate today in a, a where where we have so many sponsors and Alcoholics Anonymous, so many

people who who can listen to our footsteps. And

me personally today, I don't except for that one occasion where I want it to, to do a fist step with a priest for myself. I really don't need to go outside the the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. And I think we're really fortunate.

It says. The rule is we must be hard on ourselves, but always consider of others. And if,

if I'm sharing a piece of inventory, let's say for example with Bill and if I think he may be affected by what I'm going to share with him, I don't need to share this with him. I I can grab John and share that piece of my inventory with him

again. We don't. The book tells us that

for us to not save our skin at another person's expense,

just because we need to do this doesn't need, doesn't mean that we need to go harm somebody else in the process.

Notwithstanding the great necessity for discussing ourselves with someone, it may be one is so situated that there is no suitable person available,

and that's very rare anymore.

I think the only case that

the only time that that would apply is someone who maybe is is out to sea like a merchant marine or or maybe someone who lives in a forest or, or what have you.

But then it's going to say if that is if that is so. This step may be postponed only, however, if we hold ourselves in complete readiness to go through it with, go through with it at the first opportunity.

We say this because we are very anxious that we talked to the right person. It is important that he, the person, he or she, the person that's listening to the fifth step, be able to keep a confidence that this person fully understand and improve at what we're driving at, that he will not try to change our plan. But we must not use this as a mere excuse to postpone.

This is something that I do when

when I'm listening to someone's fist that

before they share their inventory with me, I let them know that I am able to keep a confidence. I will not go out and share your inventory with anybody, including my wife.

There is no need to and something I do to ensure that is that

I say a prayer before we get started. And I and amongst other things, I

asked God to just help me forget everything that I've heard once this fifth step is done. And you know, it's quite comical sometimes because maybe six months down the road, a person who I've heard a fish step from will will call me up and, and be all happy about some situation that was in his or her inventory that was resolved. And they'll say, well do you remember when I shared such and such with you?

And inevitably I'll 9 times out of 10 I'll have to say, no, I don't. You'll need to refresh my memory. And sometimes I get a little aggravated about that.

There's just no way from all the inventories that I've heard, there's just no way that I, I could carry on to that stuff and, and live sanely in this world.

If, you know, Bill often says that

if you cannot keep a confidence, if you can't keep your mouth shut, when, when, when you've heard someone inventory someone's inventory, then we suggest that you don't listen to a fist at. I like to add something to that, though. I like to add that if you have a problem with gossiping or sharing about other people's situation, I like to suggest that you do the work in Alcoholic's Anonymous.

Do the 12 steps

you have a spiritual awakening. Those character defects that cause us to gossip and cause us to spread rumors and other things that shouldn't be spread, those things within you will die. And then you'll be able to be of service to God and your fellow man and you'll be able to listen to fish steps

and, and I also let them know that I fully understand and approve at at what they're driving at and that I will not try to change their plan.

First full paragraph on the top of 75.

When we decide who is to hear our story, we waste no time.

That seems to be a time frame and not yet another time frame. In the big book Alcoholics Anonymous,

we have our written four step inventory. We've decided who is to hear it and we waste no time. Here's what I like to do when when I'm when I'm working with another person,

they've completed their resentment inventory and their fear inventory and they're just about ready to start their their sex inventory and harm to others. At that time.

I'll try to get a feel for for how much more inventory they have to write. And I'll usually set an set an appointment with them before they're even totally finished with their inventory.

And I'll usually say something like,

well, can you be done with this in a week? And they'll usually say, well, yeah. And we'll take out our calendars and we'll book a date to do the first step. And for me, that has been a really good tool because it keeps the flow going. You know, it, it, it, it is a tool to

kill off the defect of procrastination within there.

That's something that I like to do. Also something that we do when we make the appointment for the 5th step.

We set aside an entire day. Sometimes a fifth step will take, especially if it's the first one. Sometimes it'll take 67812 hours.

There's a lot that happens at a fifth step and

you notice on the next line it says we have a written inventory and we're prepared for a long talk. Something I always like suggesting to people is to try to do it all in one city. Now don't get me wrong. If

if something comes up, I mean we during that, you know, maybe we'll take 1/2 hour break to eat or whatever. And I'm not talking about sitting and not ever getting up for eight hours. I'm not talking about that. But somehow

when a first step is shared and a fifth step

in one shot, you get the full force and the full picture of how your ego has harmed yourself and has harmed other people. So but when it's broken up, because I've heard people say, you know, I've been doing my fifth step for a month and what begins to happen is the same thing that happened over the years, that all this stuff is happening. Your mind and your ego justifies what's happening and doesn't see it as that big of a deal. But then when you see it all in one shot, it's like just undeniable,

like what's happened and you're just disgusted with all of it. And it's a better catapult into six and seven asking God to help you with this stuff because you just don't want to live this way anymore. So just want to throw that out too. And I guess just for

people that like it done this way, there's four points that the book makes on what to look for in a person you're going to do a fish step with. About 2/3 of the way down. It says it's someone who will understand yet be unaffected.

So that's sort of the first point. You know, if, if I wanted to perhaps share a fifth step with my wife, let's say, and then I start admitting to her that I cheated on her ten years ago and she wasn't aware of, and you know, I, I did this, you know, that person's going to be affected by all that. So it's, it's got to be someone who will understand yet be unaffected. The second point is the second line down from the OR second line up from the bottom. It says that is important that they're able to keep a confidence.

The next line is the Third Point that they fully understand and approve of what we're driving at. And then the next line is the 4th point.

They will not try to change our plan. So

and like Mike said, you know, we waste no time.

He talked about in the third step of the decision

will mean we'll have little permanent effect unless we at once go on to the force that and now that we've done the four step, we waste no time in doing a fifth step. And you know, and how it works, it said, you know, if you want we have and you're ready to go to analysts to get it, then you're ready to take certain steps.

So the book is as we're going through the whole thing, pointing out time frames of when to do certain things. And you know these are another one to do it at the first opportunity and that we waste no time when the four steps done.

We have a written inventory and we were prepared for a long talk. We explained to our partner what we are about to do and why we have to do it and

I was doing a fist step with a guy one time and he was very

fanatical about this point. He asked me

what are you about to do and and why do you have to do it. His question basically was why are you here? And the answer that that I had to give him is that I'm about to share with you

my searching and fearless moral inventory,

to share with you the exact nature of my defects that I found by looking at my resentments, my fears, and my harms to others with emphasis on sex. And the reason that I have to do it is because if I don't do it, I may not get over drinking. And if I don't continue to do this work today, I may not get over my alcoholism.

And I may go back to drinking.

You see, again, it's hooking us back to

the spiritual malady that we talked about in step one.

That spiritual malady can come back at any moment.

And if if that stuff is not rid of, if the ego is not

continually smashed and re smashed and the ego rebuilds itself, I could be headed towards a drink and not even know it.

It says that he should realize that we're on that we are engaged upon a life and death and death, Aaron. And that's a good statement to turn turn into a question. Do I realize that? Do I realize that I am engaged on a life and death, Aaron, not only as the person who is sharing the inventory,

but also the person who is listening to the inventory,

as the sponsor, so to speak, listening to the proteges fistat? Do I, do I realize that this person, this persons life is literally in the, in my hands, You know,

if I make a false move and gossip about this person's inventory, they could die. I've seen that in a A and it's really sad. I've seen stuff like that happen and it's, it's really dangerous. And that can be taken in two different ways. It's a life or death errand. It's a very important thing. I mean, if if I go back to drinking, I was on a mission that was leading toward me dying when I was drinking so it could go back to that again.

So it is very much a life or death. Aaron, you know, it said before that we may not overcome drinking if we don't do this. But also it can be taken a second way where

it's a life or death, Aaron, because it's the life of my spiritual loving, unselfish names, unselfish nature, and it's the death of my ego, selfish, fear based nature. So that can be taken in a couple different ways as well.

Most people approached in this way. We'll be glad to help there, be honored by our confidence.

We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twisted character, every dark cranny of the past.

I just want to give you a little

a little sketch on what I do when I listen to a fist step. As Bill said, I I block off the entire day on my calendar. I know people that block off an entire weekend

and I've been known to do that to to take people through the first eight steps. But we're talking about doing a fifth step here. And I block off the entire day. I have them get to

excuse me. I like to have him come over my house rather than go over theirs because many times there can be distractions at their place. And I know that that my house is going to be quiet. And

so I asked him if they can come over as as early as possible. That way we have as we have as much time that as needed.

I do some stuff that's not necessarily in the big book, but I I like sage. So I purify the house and myself with sage

because this is this is serious business. This is a real spiritual act that we're about the perform here.

It's a very holy act

sharing

sharing your wrong, so to speak is nothing new to this universe. It's it's been going on since since man first crushed grapes I guess. But listening to confession, spiritual act and I treated that way,

we usually have a few minutes of silent meditation.

We usually say a few prayers. Quite often I'll start off with with the third step prayer just so we can reaffirm that decision together that that we made previously. And

usually what I'll do is read the last two paragraphs in chapter 5, which are on pages 70 and 71, and and I'll take as many as those statements as possible

and turn them into questions. I'll give you a little example. You don't have to turn to it,

but it says if we have been thorough about our personal inventory, we have written down a lot. This is last paragraph is 70. So I'll turn it into a question that I can ask them. I'll ask them have you been thorough about your personal inventory and have you written down a lot? And a lot for one person may not be the same for another person, but it's a lot for you.

I'll ask them. Have you listed and analyzed your resentment?

I'll also ask them. Have you listed and analyzed your fears and your conduct?

And I'll ask them if they've begun to comprehend the futility and fatality of resentments, fears, and sexual misconduct.

And I'll ask them if they've commenced to see their terrible destructiveness. And on and on and on and on.

Bless you.

And those two paragraphs,

just a good summation of the four step and it brings us to Chapter 6. And I will read the paragraphs to them that we just covered here tonight. And

you know, again, we'll say a couple prayers,

We'll, we'll invite the power of God into the room. Although nowadays I'm already letting them know that the power of God is here whether we invite it or not,

but that that's just something I like to do.

Bill, you want to tell them what you do, what you have them do as far as admitting to God and to themselves with their inventory before we meet. Yeah, the the 5th step says that made it to God, to ourselves and to another human being. The exact nature of our wrongs. So something I started doing over the last couple years is after a person's finish with their force that before we get together to do their fifth step. I asked them to

spend a couple hours sharing their inventory, perhaps silently with their higher power to go someplace where they feel God strongly, perhaps to a church or a synagogue or somewhere in nature or even in their own living room if they feel God strongly there

and share the inventory silently to their higher power. And something, some feedback that I've gotten from that, and I'm doing it myself has been rather interesting because

not only do they sometimes see a little bit more in some of the things that they had already written, but also they got a sense of forgiveness and power that they then bring into the fifth step that they share with another person. So that's something that I started doing and I've been getting some pretty interesting results with asking people to do that first and then come to do the inventory. And, and you know, like I had shared when we did the the

How It Works part of the book

that I think that we do get a sense of forgiveness and an accumulation of power when we share with our higher power. We then get understanding of how our inner workings works when we see it for ourselves. And we also get a sense of humility when we share it with somebody else. So the 5th step could be rather powerful when done in its entirety.

So by doing the 5th step, we're pocketing our pride and we go to it and we illuminate every twist of character,

every dark cranny of the past.

And as Bill stated, you know, I during the 5th step, I take as many breaks as possible.

It's not something that's meant to be totally exhausting and totally draining, although quite often it is that way for me. So what I usually do the night before, I usually make sure that I do

and, and that morning I usually make sure that I do some extra meditating and I make sure that I get a real good night sleep the night before.

Because I give this thing my own, you know, I, I just, that's, that's just the way I've been taught and