Direct Amends – taking personal responsibility for your actions and confronting the person who you would like to reconcile with. It won’t be easy, and you’ll likely feel waves of regret living amends washing over you. This can be a sign that you’re working on your sense of morality. Odds are, your list will begin with loved ones (family members and friends) or previous partners. As you go further, you’ll start adding coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances, and even random strangers.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
The core of this work is now well-known as the Twelve Steps of recovery. The book also included case histories of thirty recovered members. At the same time, Dr. Bob’s Oxford Group membership in Akron had not helped him enough to achieve sobriety. When Dr. Bob and Bill finally met, the effect on the doctor was immediate. This time, he found himself face-to-face with a fellow sufferer who was succeeding. When my husband misses a turn because he’s in the wrong lane, I say nothing.
- However, it is worth mentioning other types of recovery programs will also include the amends process at a specific point in your program.
- The 12 Steps help people with a substance use disorder create lasting change in recovery and reconnect with family to help cement that change.
- This page may contain sensitive or adult content that’s not for everyone.
- Working through Step 9 allows you to move forward, regardless of how others respond.
h Step Amends List: Facing the Past, Building the Future
The outcome of making amends doesn’t always end in relationships picking up where they left off, but the process is cathartic and necessary to move on. Step 9 centers on forgiveness and restoration, confronting past https://graybeardfilms.com/2022/12/30/dependence-vs-addiction-how-to-tell-the-difference/ actions directly rather than avoiding them. This step emphasizes making direct amends wherever possible, acknowledging harm caused and taking actions to rectify mistakes.
The Three R’s of the Ninth Step
In Celebrate Recovery Step 8, we learned all about making a list of amends. If you haven’t read that lesson, please do so before continuing on so that you can keep it one step at a time in the recovery process. One common challenge is being willing to accept the consequences of your actions.
How Living Amends Positively Impacts Recovery Outcomes
AA stands for Alcoholics Anonymous and is similar to Celebrate Recovery. Began in 1935 in Akron, Ohio, as the outcome of a meeting between Bill W., a New York stockbroker, and Dr. Bob S., an Akron surgeon. I don’t punish them with silence (although I did do that in the past). Let them know all the things you’re actively doing to try to prevent these behaviors from happening again. In cases involving abuse, whether emotional, physical, or sexual, reaching out to apologize can be harmful and counterproductive.
- Step 9 is to express regret, accept responsibility, and describe the improvements and self-growth of recovery.
- Not exactly—while both are good efforts, the difference lies in someone’s intentions.
- Making amends is more than “I’m sorry.” It involves acknowledging the hurt or damage done, seeking forgiveness, and, where possible, making things right.
- If there’s anything I can do today to make things right, please let me know.
- A sponsor can offer guidance, expert input, and information from their own experience working these steps.
Mature Content
Alcoholics Anonymous is the first 12-step fellowship from which all other 12-step fellowships sprouted. Has become the most universal means of recovery from alcoholism. The purpose of step 10 is to acknowledge that Twelve-step program your old habits don’t control you and practice self-examination to help continue this trend. With restoration, you aim to bring something back to what it formerly was.
I couldn’t spare the time for the hours of leisurely chatting that helped so much, my work would somehow just have to get done. At last I began to have the feeling that in this instance I was meeting the demand of Step Nine–making direct amends. Cori’s key responsibilities include supervising financial operations, and daily financial reporting and account management.
What about the late nights that we kept our parents up worrying? What about the relationships we ruined, the emotional wreckage we created? Sometimes direct amends are not possible, and this is where living amends come into play. Making indirect amends means acknowledging your faults and resolving to live well in the future. In AA, Step 8 of the 12 Steps helps you list the people you’ve harmed so you’re ready to follow through with living amends and direct amends in Step 9. Words will only go so far and remember that not everyone is quick to forgive and move on.
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