AA’s step work has been adjusted for use in other addiction recovery programs, such as sex addiction or drug addiction. It is important to note that just because you have drug addiction made amends does not mean that your relationships will be completely healed or return back to normal. In many 12-step recovery programs, making amends is an important part of the process.
- Before completing step nine, the recovering alcoholic needs to be ready to deliver their message with the best intentions, not motivated by false expectations.
- If you are working an Alcoholics Anonymous program, following AA’s Big Book, then first let’s say congratulations!
- If we had not done the work in the first eight steps, we wouldn’t now have a foundation on which to stand while we make our amends.
- Direct Amends – taking personal responsibility for your actions and confronting the person who you would like to reconcile with.
- To complete this step, you must be willing to admit to and face the impacts your past has had on your life and others’ lives.
Examples of a Direct Amend
We do not and have never accepted fees for referring someone to a particular center. Providers who advertise with us must be verified by our Research Team and we clearly mark their status as advertisers. You may have a living amends list of people you want to make amends to personally. Kayla holds over 6 years of experience in the rehab space, including in-house content management at a leading treatment center. She believes addiction and mental health issues are universal human experiences that can serve as important entry points onto a path toward self-realization and well-being.
Getting Started
The spirit of making amends is grounded in personal accountability, humility, and spiritual growth. It encourages individuals to confront the past honestly, take responsibility without excuses https://nineteesbd.com/how-to-stop-drinking-6-tips-to-quit-drinking/ or blame, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to change. Examples of making amends could be doing volunteer work, paying off an old debt, making a public apology, etc.
Waypoint Recovery Center Blog
- Cori’s key responsibilities include supervising financial operations, and daily financial reporting and account management.
- Self-seeking will slipA momentary loss of focus on the road to recovery which is quickly rectified.
- We will likely have wonderful experiences and very difficult ones.
- You can’t blame your addiction-related behaviors on stress, a quick temper, or mere impulsiveness.
There isn’t one “right” way to make amends as part of your 12-step program, which might make you even more worried. Sometimes, simply contacting a person that you’ve victimized because of your addiction can hurt them again. You might trigger so much pain and stress that they’ve been trying to work through for a while now. Practice accepting other’s responses to your efforts and remember that you have done all you can. When appropriate, remind others that you are here if they change their mind or wish to talk. The FHE Health team is committed to providing accurate information that adheres to the highest standards of writing.
Your actions alone may bring you a sense of peace, whether a person accepts you amends or not. Working through Step 9 allows you to move forward, regardless of how others respond. Today I am working on (the behaviors noted above) by ___________________. I recognize that you may not trust my intentions or my ability to change today and I do not blame you, but my hope is that over time the changes in my behavior will demonstrate my commitment to recovery. If there’s anything I can do today to make things right, please let me know.