The Fifth Step

Posted on April 23, 2026, tagged as Addiction Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous, Alcoholism, Heroic Journey, Twelve Steps

“We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”  Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 59

The twelve-step program is intimidating, but probably no step is more dreaded than step five.  It is often delayed or avoided altogether, typically resulting in a return to drinking. It is because alcoholics are guilt-ridden individuals that the steps are necessary to “clear away the wreckage of the past” and move on in life with a lighter burden. It is because of a troubled mind that alcoholics return to drinking, more than for any other reason. The fifth step provides a mechanism for release of the worst of these troubles, and if thorough, provides the journeyer with a more balanced and forgiving self-image.  

I like to think of addiction recovery as a heroic journey, one in which the traveler is presented with intimidating challenges that can only be faced and overcome with help from others. With the fifth step our hero enlists the assistance of two allies. As stated in the fifth step, the first is God. For those who think of God as the Big Guy in the Sky, Large and in Charge this is a big problem. After all he may have been making a list and checking it twice, trying to find out who is naughty or nice. Others don’t believe in God. The program tells us to seek a higher power, and I suggest that this is the exact way to approach any obstacle to the God idea. Joseph Campbell says that God is “beyond all categories of human thought.” That is, we lack the capacity to think of God as God is. My suggestion here is to find the willingness to seek a higher power that could be likeable and approachable whether you call this higher power God or not. The other ally is “another human being.” This usually turns out to be one’s sponsor, a person with whom the newcomer to the journey has already confided much. Alternatively, it could be one’s therapist, a clergyperson, or someone else who inspires confidence. 

The fifth step requires us to confess the exact nature of our wrongs. There are two things worth noting here. First, notice that the step does not say “our wrongs,” but rather “the exact nature of our wrongs.” This suggests to me that we are in fact looking at our human nature. We are not and were never meant to be perfect. This leads to the other point I want to make. The personal inventory must be thorough and honest and therefore needs to include both the good and the bad. The fifth step will not be done perfectly. If upon reflection over time, as more is revealed, the recovering hero has more to disclose, this can be done either with the person who heard the original fifth step, or with some other appropriate person. Millions of people in twelve-step recovery will attest to the relief one feels after such an exercise. Fear cannot be allowed to block progress. As Susan Jeffers said, “We cannot escape fear. We can only transform it into a companion that accompanies us in all our exciting adventures.” We cannot allow fear to prevent our progress in recovery. Fear is part of life. We learn to live with it and accept help along the way. And don’t forget, the truth will set you free.