10 Step AA Activities

Alcoholics Anonymous is a self-help group that helps alcoholics achieve and maintain sobriety by following a 12-step program. The steps are worked in order to support the recovery process. The 10th step directs group members to "continue to take personal inventory and when you are wrong, promptly admit it." The Hazelden rehabilitation center calls this step the spiritual basis of recovery, so it's critical to work it with effective strategies.

Daily Inventory

• The Big Book Bunch recommends that members who are working step 10 should set aside some time each day to conduct their personal inventory. If you keep putting off the inventory and don't make it a priority, it may never get done. Making it a part of your daily routine ensures that it gets the priority it deserves. The time can be set aside whenever it is most convenient, like in the morning just after waking up or at night before getting into bed. It helps to link the inventory to another activity that is done daily like sleeping, waking or eating lunch.

Spot Checks

• The Big Book Bunch says that mini-inventories can be done throughout the day when a situation lends itself to this activity. This can be done when you get into an argument with a boss, co-worker or family member or are in a situation that may cause you to overreact in some way. Doing a mini-inventory allows you to step back from a volatile situation and to see if you are partially or fully responsible for causing it or keeping it going. Admitting fault will often diffuse such situations so you can handle them constructively.

Annual Inventory

• Even if you are doing regular step 10 inventories each day, the Big Book Bunch recommends taking a comprehensive annual inventory. You can link it with a yearly event, such as your birthday, to help you remember to do it. This big picture view will help you recognize any overall trends that you might need to deal with.

Journaling

• Step 10 can be done by journaling. If you have difficulty pinpointing situations in which you may have been wrong, writing about your day can help you find them. Once you've written a summary of the day, go back and look for things that could have been handled in a better way. Decide where and how they went wrong and decide how you can take responsibility for handling similar instances more effectively in the future. If you discover that you should admit fault to anyone, make a plan for doing so.

Emotions

• The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous warns group members who are working step 10 to beware of certain emotions such as dishonesty, selfishness, fear and resentment. Periodically do an "emotion check" to see if you are having any of these feelings. If so, the Big Book says to ask God to remove them, to discuss them with someone and find a way to make amends to anyone who may have been harmed by them.