Doing another one right now..... had to put down for 2 days due to funeral and family around..... (and I have plenty more I had forgotten about, so it's all good!)

I really hope that I can learn to take regular inventory, like on paper, in Step 10, ongoing so I don't have a heaping mess to deal with every, oh, every 2-3 years?

I am really enjoying the 12&12 on Step 4 now too, it is an amazing book and chock full or great stuff.

(((hugs)))
Joni

P.S. my meeting tonight was a lead, and it was yet another young person who blasted through the steps.... his sponsor was the young guy who led last week... these kids are on fire and I wish them the best. They are talking about the Steps in their leads, there is a whole pack of them running around sober together. It gives me fond memories...

Dean,

I did steps 4 and 5 back to back.  Finally my deepest secrets, fears and guilt were out in the open.  It was a very liberating experience for me.  This was 33 years ago. My sponsor was not a believer in redoing step 4.  He taught me that was covered by step 10 on a daily basis.  

This has served me well, but always remember what keeps me sober may get you drunk.

If a person wants to redo step 4 it certainly will not harm them as far as I can see and infact if they believe it to be beneficial to them it will be.

There is always more than one road to any given destination.   I hope I never reach the end because the journey is what it is all about and it has been a real blast.  

Larry,
-----------------------
Love someone who doesn't deserve it.  ~Author Unknown

Yep, done step 4 a couple times. first time was a 100 questions about you and you're life etc sort of thing. it did the job, but with my own sponsees I recommend exactly as in teh book. So i re did it exactly as in the book.

I recommended it that way as several people (including Charlie and Joe) told me that was the best way, so i thought I'd better do it myself to make sure I had a better idea of what I was talking about.

the first one brought me down to the depths, but step 5 resolved all that. The second one was more dispassionate, but more useful.

i went through the steps pretty early in recovery. i did a step 4/5 with my sponsor.
i dont remeber it being a big list of resentmens that were eating me up. it was more a list of bad things i had done and small resentments. and basically telling another living soul about the shameful stuff i had done to others and having them not freak out on me and treat me like i was a human not a horrible evil thing.

i told my sponsor a big list and then i also did what i call a long step 4 /5 with my counsellor . i went into more details with the counsellor. Some of my stuf i told a counsellor because it was intertwined with the effects of bing a survivor of child abuse and she was my outside help for that outside issue.

telling my sponsor and then also a counsellor about these things was like a massive huge weight of crap being lifted off my shoulders. i KNOW for sure if i had not of told sponsor and then counsellor this stuff i would have most certainly drunk again. i felt like crap carrying all that crappy shameful stuff around and telling them was like wow, acceptanace, they didnt act like i was gross or horrible. my sponsor didnt bat a eye and that was VERY healing and uplifting for me.

I have not done a 10 properly on paper, well i have attempted to but then forget, so no not really kept up with step 10.

i know i need to redo the steps, ive done a step one with a sponsor a few times since getting sober. as my mind has gone hairwire a few times and ive become obsessed with doutbing whether or not i really am a real alki.

i am praying for the willingness to do another step 4/5/ well all the steps really. i started on another step 4 then stopped. My sponsor says i need to do work on 3 but ive not asked her for help as shes busy. i should ask really i know it will help me to redo them all.

but yeh i need another 4/5. its bad i have seen how bad my 'sober' behaviour has been towards some areas of my life, and i do owe some people amends also, since sobering up. ive not been the best shining example of soberity and level headedness. Progress not perfection i guess.

i am doing prayer and meditation and i am finding so much comfort and peace in meditation. My current sponsor meditates. I wish i had started sooner and i pray i will keep it up. I find a real connection to something i dont know what exactly, something spiritual i am thinking is HP with meditation.


-- Edited by slugcat on Monday 17th of May 2010 10:10:45 AM