Step One Worksheet

STEP 1  WRITTEN  INVENTORY

Click Steps by the Big Book

Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.

Consider these questions, borrowed from meetings and recovery literature. Add your own.  Further develop this worksheet in your own notebook. Consider responding in detail with specific examples, rather than rote yes's or no's.

POWERLESSNESS

Body - the physical compulsion [compelled to act]

What were all of the types and amounts of alcohol and drugs I used, from my first time to the present? What did it cost me or others – purchases, income, fines? Emotional cost?

When have I experienced the abnormal physical reaction to alcohol? [‘One drink leads to another.’ Suggestion: Describe the last drink or a similar episode in detail.]

When did I recognize that I lost control of my drinking? [I drink to excess. I cannot stop when I want to. Heard in a meeting: “When I drink  I break out in a binge.”]

In what ways have I attempted, and have failed, to control my drinking? Did I use alcohol, or did alcohol use me? 

What were the things I did while acting out on my disease that I would never do when focusing on recovery? (ie: destructive behavior, loss of memory and blackouts, being abusive physically or verbally, insane and suicidal behaviors, etc.)

What would my life be like if I admitted being powerless over alcohol and other dysfunctional behaviors?

In what ways has my disease been active recently? How do I behave compulsively?

STEP 1 WRITTEN INVENTORY

II     UNMANAGEABILITY

Mind - The mental obsession [besieged, haunted] (obsessed with self = self-centeredness)

When and how has my mind told me that one drink will not hurt?

How did jails or institutions take over the management of my life at different times?

How am I addicted to changing my mood?  What was I trying to change?  In what ways am I addicted to looking outside of myself for exterior things to change the way I feel?

Are there situations that I fear will be so painful that I will drink again?

How is my addictive thinking and behavior manifested in my life today? Be specific.

What is it like when I am obsessed with someone or something?

Do I maintain a crisis mentality, reacting to every challenge as a personal insult? How has this affected my life? 

Do I insist on having my own way? Do I consider the needs of others? How has this behavior/attitude affected my relationships?

What in my life, can I truly manage? 

What managed my life when using, and what manages my life in recovery?

The download for this worksheet is found at Steps by the Big Book