Eighth Step Synopsis
While this workshop deals with step nine and ten, it is necessary to briefly review Step Eight.
"We made a list of all persons we has harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all." Step 8
In Step Eight, we begun our journey to bringing other people into the healing process of recovery. By using the term "people", the Eighth Step means people we have harmed in our addiction, people we harmed in our recovery, people we meant to harm, including ourselves and the list goes on and on.
During our work in Step Eight, as we begun to write a list of those people we have harmed and how we harmed them, we applied the spiritual principles of honesty, courage, willingness, and compassion. With these principles in mind, we wrote our list and moved on to Step Nine.
Step Nine Analysis
&nb sp; "We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to dos so
would injure them or others." Step 9
By now, we have already established a spiritual foundation in our recovery. We have admitted our limitations; developed a relationship with our higher power; become aware of our personal responsibilities; developed humility; and, therefore have the faith and trust that is needed in order to make amends.
The list we made in Step Eight was our practical preparation for working the Ninth Step. Step Nine is about strengthening what is already part of us. The knowledge we have gained through Steps 1-8 is about to be put to the test. As eloquently stated in page 81 of the NA Step Working Guides, "The level at which we are able to practice the principles of forgiveness, the depth of insight we have, and the amount of self-awareness we are able to maintain throughout the amend process will depend on our previous experience with the steps and how much effort we're willing to put into our recovery.
So what does making amends really mean? Does it mean, forgive me for what I've done to you and move on? No! Making amends means being honest, sincere and treating people better then we have done in the past. The process includes becoming a better person on a daily basis not just during the process of making your amends.
"The Ninth Step is meant to give a way to set right the damage we've caused in the past. Some of us keep in mind that the three primary concepts are associated with making amends: resolution, restoration, and restitution. Resolution implies that to find an answer to the problem, we must lay to rest what was previously plaguing or disturbing us in some way. Restoration means to bring back to its former state something that had been damaged. This can be a relationship or a quality that used to exist in a relationship, such as trust. We can perhaps restore our reputations if they were good at some point in the past. Restitution is very similar to restoration, but in relating it to the Ninth Step, we can think of it as the act of returning something-material or more abstract-to its rightful owner." NA Step Working Guides, page 83.
We usually begun making our amends as soon as we get clean. We begin by changing some of our negative behaviors. As we begin to change ourselves, we also begin the amend process-for-such process requires us to change and identify our negative behaviors. With this process in motion, the process of speaking to some of the people we have harmed becomes much easier since some of the harm we caused was directly related to our behavior.
Nine Step Concepts
First, we recognize and accept the harm we caused. Second, approaching the person we harmed directly and acknowledging the harm we caused is an enormous step on our spiritual journey no matter how the amends are received. Third, after making amends, we are left with a sense of freedom. We are no longer burdened with the weight of unfinished business and a sense of shame about the harm we caused.
Points To Remember
- Do not let fear overpower you;
- Do not anticipate expectations;
- Make direct and indirect amends;
- Work on your spiritual preparation before making amends;
- Be humble;
- Have faith;
- Be forgiven;
- Talk to your sponsor if you have questions;
- Remember spiritual principles.
Step 10 Analysis
&nb sp; "We continued to take personal inventory and
&nb sp; when we were wrong promptly admitted." Step 10
"Recovery has a price-it demands our vigilance. We have to continue doing all th e things we have been doing for our recovery so far. We have to continue to be honest, to have trust and faith, to pay attention to our actions and reactions, and to assess how those are working for us or against us. We also have to pay attention to how those are working for us or against us. We also have to pay attention to how our actions affect others, and when the effects are negative or harmful, promptly step forward and to take our personal inventory and promptly admit our wrongs." NA Working Step Guides, pg. 95
The Tenth Step refines much of the work we did in Step Four through Nine, through in as much-shortened format. Step Ten is use to create and maintain a continuous awareness of what we're feeling, thinking, and even more importantly, what we are doing. Step ten is an every day maintenance step.
We must promptly admit when we are wrong. Our goal is to maintain continuous awareness of ourselves throughout each day, it's very helpful to sit down at the end of the day and "work" this step.
We must work Step Ten until it becomes a habit. We must keep an eye on our temperament, decisions, and how we treat others and ourselves. This step requires constant work in order to create a better, honest, and fair life style for ourselves and others. Step Ten is the process by which we regulate our everyday thinking process.
Fernando E.
