Step Seven, Week One: May 29th, 2024

This week’s reading assignment:

Yellow workbook pages 124-130 OR BRB pages 217 – 226

Red Book pages 111-112, the heading titled “Character Defects vs. Laundry List Traits”

Red Book Chapter 8, “The Solution: Becoming Your Own Loving Parent” in full.

Recommended weekly reading:

“The Laundry List” or “The Problem,” “The Solution,” and “The Promises” on pages 587-591 of the Red Book or in the first several pages of the yellow workbook;

“The Twelve Steps” on pages 91-92 of the Red Book (also on pages 1-2 of the workbook); and

“The Twelve Traditions” on page 592 of the Red Book

Tradition Five (the tradition for the month of May) in depth starting on page 513 of the BRB

Suggested supplemental reading:

“Drop The Rock: Removing Character Defects ~ Steps Six and Seven” by Bill P., Todd W., and Sarah S., page 57-91 (the Step Seven section.) See ACAWSO’s Literature Policy: “It has always been accepted that ACA should remain eclectic in choosing literature. That is, ACA meetings may draw from various sources without censorship.”

Melody Beattie, “Codependents Guide to the Twelve Steps,” the Step Seven chapter, pages 107-115 of the 1990 edition. See ACAWSO’s Literature Policy: “It has always been accepted that ACA should remain eclectic in choosing literature. That is, ACA meetings may draw from various sources without censorship.”

This week’s step study questions are excerpted from the Step Seven worksheet on http://12-steps-recovery.com:

1. What character defects do you think will be the most difficult to give up? Why? In what order do you plan to give them up?
2. What kind of situations, stressors or pressures cause you to regress back into your defects of character? What can you do to lessen the likelihood of that stress occurring?
3. What makes you lose hope? Can you avoid such situations? If so, then how?
4. What would you like to recapture in your life?
5. Describe your typical day’s activities in terms of how much time you spend on each type of activity. Next, describe your typical day’s activities if you knew that you had only one year to live. Have you made the correct decisions about how to spend time with loved ones, in solitude and with your discretionary time? If not, how would you like to change it?

Deep Dive questions:

A. What obstacles have I faced in working Step Seven?

B. How do I find the humility needed to ask God to remove my shortcomings?

C. How has the pain caused by my shortcomings brought me the humility I need to ask for help?

© Al-Anon’s Reaching for Personal Freedom Workbook