Step 1: Acknowledgment of Powerlessness

We recognized our inability to control alcohol, acknowledging that our lives had spiraled out of control. Have you truly accepted your powerlessness over alcohol and recognized the chaos in your life?

Step 2: Belief in a Higher Power

We came to believe that a force greater than ourselves could restore our sanity. Do you trust that there exists a Higher Power capable of renewing your mental clarity?

Step 3: Surrendering to God

We decided to entrust our will and lives to the care of a Higher Power as we understand it. Have you completely surrendered your life to this Higher Power, without taking any part of it back, no matter how insignificant it may seem?

Once you have thoroughly engaged with these first three Steps and genuinely internalized their lessons, you are poised to progress to the inventory phase.

Step 4: Conducting a Fearless Moral Inventory

Many newcomers to recovery dread this step, fearing the resurfacing of past traumas. But here's a truth: whatever has occurred remains in your mind. It's a heavy load that you bear alone.

Consider a telephone pole lying flat; alone, I cannot budge it. But with a group, we can roll it away. Similarly, my past traumas were like those mental telephone poles. How do I deal with them?

Think of a garbage truck beginning its route; it starts out clean but accumulates trash as it goes. As it fills up, the stench intensifies. What causes this unpleasant odor?

Step 5: Confession of Wrongs

When the garbage truck is full of rotten refuse, it must offload its contents at the landfill. Similarly, when our minds are cluttered with toxic thoughts, we must release them too.

Once the truck is emptied of its load, it can operate more efficiently. Likewise, when we clear our minds, we feel lighter and more prepared to navigate life.

Step 10: Ongoing Self-Inventory

Both the truck and the individual can now function without the burdens of excess garbage. But what happens when the truck collects more trash? It unloads it. What do we do when we accumulate negative thoughts? We let them go.

Regularly practicing this release ensures we are no longer burdened by toxic thinking. We achieve a sense of freedom. Thank you, God!

The first video, "You're Only As Sick as Your Secrets: Kirsty Spraggon at TEDxMalibu," delves into the importance of confronting our hidden truths for healing.

The second video, "Your Secrets Are Making You Sick," emphasizes how unaddressed secrets can impact our well-being and recovery journey.

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