Steps One through Four are definitely rigorous, but for these steps to continue to bless your life, you must become rigorously honest in Step Five before moving on. The 12-Steps are in order for a reason. The first steps build the foundation of your recovery and the Fifth Step begins the process to make it solid.
Step Five states, “Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.” This vital step provides exponential relief mentally, physically, and spiritually which is what you were probably seeking in your sobriety in the first place. Your perception may be that this step will be awkward and painful, but if you miss this part of your recovery or skimp on it, you are opening yourself up for relapse.
You Have Not Come Clean
The saying “you are as sick as your secrets” really fits here. Your Fifth Step is meant to help you purge all the unfortunate and traumatizing situations that you were planning to take to the grave. Getting rid of this negativity that you have been carrying around as emotional baggage has taken a toll on you with your addiction. This is the time to use this step to your advantage so you can break free from the bondage of self by coming clean to another person that you trust.
You Have Not Trusted Your Higher Power
Steps One, Two, Three, and Four are intended to get you to trust in a power greater than yourself. If you are now at Step Five and you are not being rigorously honest, you are not ready to embark on this step. By not turning your will over, you are unable to be completely honest on your Fourth Step, which will put you at a disadvantage to move forward. You may need to go back to the drawing board to see where your faith is lacking and why.
You Have Not Let the Program Work For You
Merely going through the motions in your step work will not give you the opportunity you need to break the chains of the past so you can be in the present. If worrying about being judged is what’s keeping you from opening up to the person you are sharing your Fifth Step with, you can relax. Everyone with an addiction has made scandalous choices in their life to do the wrong things. If they are judging you, then they are not working their own program and you should not trust them with your most confidential information. Make sure you pick someone who works a solid program and who you can relate to when they are sharing. In order for the program to work for you, feeling comfortable with who you are moving forward in your steps is imperative.
You Have Not Trusted the Process
Understandably, you may believe that a Fifth Step will not work for you. Why should you tell someone else what you have done? The main reason for this confession is so that you can identify the root cause of your addiction. Now that you accept your addiction as a spiritual malady with an obsession of the mind and an allergy of the body, you are opening yourself to state what you need to work on without having your addiction to fall back on. The words you have written and the words you will speak are all part of a puzzle that reveals the patterns that revolve around your addiction. For you to have a chance at changing, you must process everything up until this point to give you the freedom you need in your recovery.
You Have Put Yourself in the Position to Grow
Steps Six and Seven are going to be the steps that help you to alleviate your ongoing character defects. Until you look at your past with complete clarity within your Fifth Step, you will not be able to discern which areas will provide exponential growth. Until you pinpoint your flaws that keep leading you back to drugs and alcohol, nothing will change. Taking an honest approach to your Fifth Step will give you the transparency you need to move forward in relief that there is a way out of your pain.
Step Five will give you the motivation you need to “grow up” and take responsibility for your part. This crucial step is the beginning of a brand new life of a clear conscience to help you achieve long term sobriety.
Offering a full range of recovery and mental health services, Detox Center of Colorado offers “Expanded Recovery” to enrich our clients’ lives in mind, body, and spirit. Through evidence-based therapy options and the endless adventure of Colorado, Detox Center of Colorado fosters connection, encouraging clients to get connected to themselves, their peers, their families, and their higher power. With the power of recovery, clients are restored to full health and experience life-changing healing. Call us today for more information: 303-536-5463
