Step 5/Confession

Step 5 can help relieve us of that terrible sense of isolation we've always had. Addicts have generally been tortured by loneliness. Even before our drinking and drugging got bad and people began to cut us off, we inevitably suffered from the same subtle yet awkward sense that we didn't quite belong. Either we were quiet and shy and withdrew from others, or strangely noisy and craving attention and companionship, but we never got it - at least to our satisfaction. We gain honesty and humility by discussing our defects with someone who can relate to our dilemma. We see that we are not terminally unique or separate from the rest of creation. We realize that we can forgive and be forgiven. And we learned that our solitary self-appraisals have oftentimes been insufficient.