Step One. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol & that our lives had become unmanageable.
The Disease of Alcoholism
What does my alcoholism mean to me?
Has my disease been active recently, if so how?
What is it like when Im obsessed with something? Does my thinking follow a certain pattern, describe.
When a thought occurs to me do I immediately act on it without considering the consequences? In what other ways do I behave compulsively?
How does the self centred part of the disease affect my life and the lives of those around me?
How has my disease affected me physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually?
What is the specific way in which my alcoholism has been manifesting itself recently?
Have I been obsessed with a person, place or thing? If so, how has that gotten in the way of my relationships with others? How else have I been affected mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally by this obsession?
Denial
Have I given plausible but untrue reasons for my behaviour, what have they been?
Have I compulsively acted on an obsession, and then acted as if I planned to act that way? When were those times?
How/Have I blamed other people for my behaviour?
How have I compared my alcoholism with others alcoholism? Is my alcoholism bad enough if I dont compare it to anyone else?
Am I comparing a current manifestation of my alcoholism to the way my life was before I got sober? Am I plagued by the idea that I should know better?
Have I been thinking that I have enough information about alcoholism and recovery to get my behaviour under control before it gets out of hand?
Am I avoiding action because Im afraid I will be ashamed when I face the results of my alcoholism? Am I avoiding action because Im worried about what others will think?
Hitting Bottom; Despair & Isolation
What crisis brought me to recovery?
What situation led me to formally work this Step?
When did I first recognize my alcoholism as a problem? Did I try to correct it?
If so how? If not, why not?
Powerlessness
Over what exactly am I powerless?
Ive done things while acting out on my alcoholism that I would never do when focusing on recovery. What were they?
What things have I done to maintain my alcoholism that went completely against all my beliefs and values?
How does my personality change when Im acting out on my alcoholism? E.g. Do I become arrogant, self centred, mean tempered, passive to the point of losing self protection, manipulative, whiney?
Do I manipulate other people to maintain my alcoholism? How?
Have I tried to quit using and found that I couldnt? Have I quit using on my own and found that my life was so painful without drinking that my abstinence didnt last very long? What were these times like?
How has my alcoholism caused me to hurt myself or others?
Unmanageability
What does unmanageability mean to me?
Have I ever done anything I could have been arrested for if only I were caught?
What have those things been?
What trouble have I had at work or school because of my alcoholism?
What trouble have I had with my family as a result of my alcoholism?
What trouble have I had with friends as a result of my alcoholism?
Do I insist on having my own way?
What effects has my lack of consideration had on my relationships?
Do I accept responsibility for my life and actions?
Am I able to accept my daily responsibilities without becoming overwhelmed?
How has this affected my life?
Do I fall apart the first minute things dont go to plan?
How has this affected my life?
Do I treat every challenge as a personal insult? How has this affected my life?
Do I maintain a crisis mentality, responding to every situation with panic?
How has this affected my life?
Do I ignore signs that there may be something seriously wrong with my health or with my children, thinking that things will work out somehow? Describe.
When in real danger, have I ever been either indifferent to that danger or somehow unable to protect myself as a result of my alcoholism?
Have I ever harmed someone as a result of my alcoholism?
Do I have temper tantrums or react to my feelings in other ways that lower self respect or sense of dignity? Describe.
Did I drink or act out on my alcoholism to change or suppress my feelings?
What was I trying to change or suppress?
Reservations
Have I accepted the full measure of my disease?
Do I think I can still associate with the people connected with my alcoholism?
Do I still think I can go to the places where I drank?
Do I think its wise to keep alcohol around just to remind myself or test my recovery?
Is there something I think I cant get through sober, some event that might happen that will be so painful that Ill have to drink to survive the hurt?
Do I think that with some amount of sober time or with different life circumstances Id be able to control my drinking?
What reservations am I holding onto?
Surrender
What am I afraid of about the concept of surrender if anything?
What convinces me that I can not use successfully anymore?
Do I accept that Ill never regain control, even after a long period of abstinence?
Can I begin my recovery without a complete surrender?
What would my life be like if I surrendered completely?
Can I continue my recovery without complete surrender?
Spiritual Principles
If Ive been thinking about using or acting out on my alcoholism in some other way, have I shared it with my sponsor or told anyone else?
Have I stayed in touch with the reality of my alcoholism, no matter how long Ive had freedom from my alcoholism?
Have I noticed that now that I dont have to cover up my alcoholism that I no longer need to lie like I did?
Do I appreciate the freedom which goes along with that?
In what ways have I began to be honest in my recovery?
What have I heard in my recovery that I have trouble believing?
Have I asked my sponsor or the person I heard say it to explain it to me?
In what ways am I practicing open-mindedness?
Am I willing to follow my sponsors direction?
Am I prepared to give recovery my best effort; in what ways?
Do I believe that Im a monster who has poisoned the whole world with my alcoholism?
Do I believe that my alcoholism is utterly inconsequential to the larger society around me, or something in between?
Do I have a sense of my relative importance within my circle of family and friends and/or society as a whole? What is this sense?
How am I practicing the principle of humility in connection with work on this Step?
Have I made peace with the fact that I am an alcoholic?
Have I made peace with the things I will have to do to stay sober?
How is the acceptance of my disease necessary for continued recovery?
Moving on
How do I know that it is time to move on?
What is my understanding of this Step?
How has my prior knowledge and experience affected my work on this Step?
Goodluck with these if you think they'll help your understandig of this the 1st & most crucial Step! :) I hope you find them as useful as I did. I used this as a start in getting to know & sharing myself with my Sponsor. I can be quite a flighty person so this structure was good for me. Please come back & share if you found these queestions helpful. They're not designed for AA but I chose to use them as I needed something really specific to apply myself to! Love in Recovery ~ Just for Today, Danielle x
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Progress not perfection.. & Practice makes Progress!
