The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
two nights ago i decided to start doing my 4th step again, even though my face-to-face sponsor is unavailable at this time. because i'm going through a big crisis and my regular journaling was too unfocused and my thoughts would spin out of control, i knew i needed a workbook with blanks to fill. luckily i had thought to buy 2 of "Blueprint for Progress," Al-Anon's 4th step inventory book, a few years ago. it's a really fantastic book, like a guided journal, full of questions! it's divided into sections that deal with every aspect of life, and the questions are meant to help you form your inventory and figure out who you've harmed, so you can make amends. including harming yourself, and moving to heal yourself.
i think it's a wonderful book and i felt good writing in it. some things i'd already written, but it's good to revisit. a few new things have come up.
one big clue that my ex-A didn't truly want me in recovery is that he told me that "Blueprint for Progress" isn't a valid way to work the 4th step, he looked through it and told me it had nothing to do with how the 4th step is worked in the Big Book. basically, he was taking inventory of how i took inventory! boggles the mind.
-- Edited by purpleraven on Wednesday 30th of March 2011 04:10:55 PM
PR...my spouse and some of the other Al-Anon ladies get together from time to time and work that book as a group. If you're doing it alone you're doing it with the sick person. Just a suggestion...make some fellowship calls and group it. (((hugs)))
i've heard that phrase in f2f meetings a few times, "if you're doing it alone you're doing it with the sick person" but i'm not sure what it means! if it means i'd see myself through my ex-A's eyes, that's not happening, at least not at this point. it is really hard to be out of contact with my sponsor for so long, and know i'll have to find a new sponsor soon. i just wanted to give the book a good review because it is so very helpful, it's like having a friend right there with me, caring enough to ask me those soul-searching questions, and then i realize i'm the one caring enough about myself to do the work. it won't work for everyone but i hope it will work for someone.
