Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Annamarie Coy, BA, ICPR, MATS
In this article
“Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, we promptly admitted it.”
Over 3 million people use BetterHelp. Their services are:
Answer a few questions to get started
Participants take a personal inventory in step 10 of AA. It’s a time to evaluate how far you’ve come since step one and assess where you are daily.
In step 10 of AA, you prove you can control your actions. You aren’t handcuffed to your old habits and character defects. You can think about your actions and control your addiction behaviors.
You’re encouraged to practice self-examination and moral inventory as part of your daily routine. You’ve achieved a great deal of success in steps one through nine. However, you must keep them in check and continue on the right path.
Falling back into bad habits is easy. By putting step 10 into practice, you reduce the risk of this happening.
Several spiritual principles are a part of step 10. For example:
Perhaps acceptance is the most important of all of the spiritual principles in step 10.
In step 10, you recognize your present condition and don’t attempt to change or rebel against it. You might feel uncomfortable about things. However, you must confront it and take personal responsibility instead of avoiding and pushing it.
It’s a step that helps you accept your situation daily and remain grounded in reality. You conduct an ongoing personal inventory daily or hourly when needed. You can turn things over to your higher power or God and continue progressing in your recovery.
They’ll connect you to an addiction and mental health counselor
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
The daily inventory questions to ask in step 10 include:
You can do this spot check anytime and anywhere. It’s helpful to create daily to-do lists to keep you on track.
Also, take time each day to journal your thoughts and feelings. If things seem off or you’re struggling, check in with your sponsor or a trusted friend.
BetterHelp offers affordable mental health care via phone, video, or live-chat.
Find a TherapistAnswer a few questions to get started
Several things can help you move through step 10, including:
In this step, self-appraisal should become a habit. This is the step in which you put into daily practice all you’ve learned in the previous steps.
It’s no secret that you’ll face daily tests for your sobriety. Remaining sober requires emotional stability and humility. Making right your wrongs is an ongoing process and requires constant self-examination.
This isn’t to say you won’t fail. If you notice an emotional disturbance, do a self-inventory as soon as possible. This silences your volatile emotions and helps build your character.
Step 10, like all steps in the 12-step program, is important for recovery.
Ongoing personal inventory helps you:
Emotional disturbances can trigger negative behaviors. Many people return to abusing alcohol because of how they feel. They respond to their emotional triggers in a self-destructive manner.
Step 10 is about helping you better manage these triggers. It lets you walk away from any situation knowing you’ve done your best to make things right. You’re taking responsibility for your behavior.
Step 10 is important in the twelve-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s a maintenance step that helps you stay present and control your behavior.
Don’t hesitate to contact a sponsor or trusted friend if things seem off. They can help you stay on track to recover from alcohol use disorder.
In this article
