More about Step Six of Twelve Steps of Recovery

Continuing our discussion of Step Six of the Twelve Steps of recovery: "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.", can anyone in recovery become entirely ready to have his/her Higher Power remove all of the defects of character identified in Steps Four and Five? As is said in AA's Big Book, the goal is progress, not perfection. The only Step that a recovering person expects perfection in working is Step One; without abstinence from drugs or alcohol, an addict or alcoholic will not have the strength that comes from a relationship with a Higher Power, or the mental clarity, needed to work the rest of the Steps, including Step Six.

Where does the motivation come from to be willing to do Steps Four, Five, and Six, that is, to look honestly at our defects and seek to have them removed or at least reduced in strength? The answer is three-fold: 1) the motivation to change almost always stems from the pain of acting in ways that cause our lives to continue to be unmanageable even though we are not using alcohol or other drugs; 2) the motivation can stem from witnessing the spiritual strength of others in recovery who clearly now live balanced lives, but in the past had the same behavioral problems and negative personality traits that we have; 3) the motivation and strength to change can come from use of daily prayer and meditation focusing on areas in ourselves that need to be changed and asking for help.

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