Steps Four & Five

Starting an honest inventory

A searching and fearless moral inventory asks for honesty about resentments, fears, conduct, and the patterns we repeat. Work with your sponsor on a method you can follow. Begin with one situation and look at your response and responsibilities without turning the exercise into an attack on yourself.

Step Five brings that truth to God, ourselves, and another human being. Choose that person thoughtfully. Acknowledging your own conduct does not mean accepting responsibility for abuse or harm someone else inflicted on you. Keep private inventory work in a place you trust; public comments are not the place for it.

Put it into practice: Ask your sponsor how to begin an inventory, and set aside a manageable period to start.

Reflect: What pattern am I willing to look at without excuses or self-condemnation?

Project MATCH: Topic 9, Steps 4 and 5—Moral Inventories.

Original ICGH educational content. Explore step work with a sponsor; personal treatment decisions belong with your care team.