STEP TEN

Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

This step is mostly a summary of steps 4 to 9 and has to be used each and every moment through out the day. It does not say that we should justify our wrongs. It suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. This step has to be done every day by new and old fellows in the 12 step program. We vigorously started this way of living as we cleaned up the past.

We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and its effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter but should continue all our life in looking for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code.

As we have ceased fighting anything or anyone, even alcohol with the return of our sanity, we will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given to us without any effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it and neither is we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality safe, protected, and not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition.

It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. If we do then we are headed for trouble as alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism but have a daily reprieve from it contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities. "How can I best serve Thee, Thy will (not mine) be done." These are thoughts, which must go with us constantly.

Much has already been said about receiving strength, inspiration, and direction from Him who has all knowledge and power. If we have carefully followed directions, we have begun to sense the flow of His Spirit into us. To some extent we have become God-conscious. We have begun to develop this vital sixth sense. But we must go further and that means more action and continued to take personal inventory and when wrong, promptly admitted it.

Tips for taking the Inventory;

Ask your self the following questions daily at night as you look back on each day:

• Did I have a plan for the day, and did I follow it?
• With whom did I spend most of the time?
• Where did I spend most of the time?
• What was the quality of the judgments I made?
• Was I thinking of my self most of the time today?
• Was I resentful, selfish, dishonest, and afraid to day?
• What could I have done better?
• Was I cold, unloving, unresponsive, and indifferent?
• Was I unkind, cruel, harsh, and indifferent?
• Did any thing threaten my sobriety today and what?
• What specific work did I do on my AA program (attending meetings, doing meditation, reading AA material etc.)?
• Did I feel my attitude toward recovery was constructive today?
• Have I been fair in all my interaction with others? Were there situations today where I was a wrong or unreasonable and did I make amends?
• What secret wrongly did I keep?
• What good things happened and what did I accomplish today and how did I react to them?
• Was I grateful today with an attitude of gratitude?
• Did any bad things happen, if so what were they and how did I react?
• What have I accomplished today and what would I have liked to do that I did not do and how should I have done differently?
• Who needs my prayer today and did I think what could I do for others today?

But we are careful not to drift into worry, remorse, or morbid reflection as that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God’s forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken?

PRAYER

“God, please forgive me for my failings today. I know that because of my failings I was not able to be as effective as I could have been for you. Please forgive me and help me live thy will better tomorrow. I ask that you now show me how to correct the errors I have just outlined. Guide me and direct me. Please remove my arrogance and my fear. Show me how to make my relationships right, and grant me the humility and strength to do Thy will.