{"id":16138,"date":"2020-10-15T14:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-15T18:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=16138"},"modified":"2020-10-21T13:38:51","modified_gmt":"2020-10-21T17:38:51","slug":"step-10-of-aa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/step-10-of-aa\/","title":{"rendered":"Step 10 of AA: It’s Time to Look Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What happens during Step 10 of AA? How does the 10th Step inventory help you prepare for ongoing sobriety and recovery?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 10 of AA starts the phase of recovery in which you look forward. You have to constantly keep working on your sobriety in order to maintain it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Step 10 of AA, including the 10th Step inventory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Looking Forward Starting With Step 10 of AA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having overcome your past, in Step 10 of AA through Step 12 you continue into the future, seeking to continue improving yourself<\/a> and becoming an agent of good by helping others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 10<\/strong> of AA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recovery is an ongoing process, not a one-time step. Old habits die hard, and at times you\u2019ll slip into your old behavior. If you allow resentment to build up, they\u2019ll balloon into major problems, and you\u2019ll experience a setback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From now on, if you make a mistake, promptly admit it and make amends.<\/strong> This ongoing correction uses the 10th Step inventory to account for pain points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue to watch yourself for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. If they come up, ask your higher power at once to remove them. Discuss them with someone immediately, and make amends quickly. Then turn your thoughts to someone you can help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you get agitated or doubtful during the day, ask for the right thought or action. This ongoing correction is the purpose of Step 10 of AA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Your Relationship With Alcohol<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Over time, you\u2019ll realize you\u2019re seldom interested in liquor. You haven\u2019t been fighting temptation. Instead, the problem has been removed. You feel safe and protected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get complacent about your recovery. \u201cWe are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you have to avoid every place that has liquor? No, not if you have a good reason for going to the place, other than stealing pleasure from the atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a recovering alcoholic, don\u2019t proselytize to others and adopt a holier-than-thou attitude. Don\u2019t show intolerance of drinking as an institution\u2014this attitude isn\u2019t helpful to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 11<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe sought through prayer and meditation<\/a> to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Step 10 of AA, you think about your life’s plan. In Step 11, you discover the plan that your higher power has for you, and you gain the will to carry it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For spiritual people, this step often involves prayer and meditation. For secular people, this involves stopping and reflecting on your thoughts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a simple way of implementing Step 11:<\/p>\n\n\n\n