Overcoming addiction is no easy task, but with the right treatment program, you can find your way through it and to what awaits on the other side—a healthy life of sobriety. Even if you have already tried to quit alcohol or drugs before but failed, you can still achieve recovery. Finding the most appropriate treatment program is crucial to getting sober and maintaining your recovery. A 12-step-based treatment approach has helped many people overcome substance use disorder (SUD) for good, even when other methods have not worked. Accepting one’s flaws and powerlessness, creating a moral inventory, and receiving support from a higher power can make all the difference in your recovery.
Lasting recovery is only a phone call away. If you are curious about the 12-step approach to addiction recovery, contact My 5 Palms at 1.844.675.1022 to learn more. We weave the 12 steps into our individual therapy program so you receive guidance and support as you work through each step.
What Is a Moral Inventory?
Creating a moral inventory is the fourth step in the traditional 12-step recovery program used by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It is a reflective process that examines your past and current life circumstances. This exercise aims to identify ways your actions have negatively affected yourself and others. A moral inventory provides insights that may lead you toward growth and self-improvement.
What Is Included in a Moral Inventory?
A moral inventory is a personal, comprehensive self-appraisal of your life, challenges, and behaviors. It is an opportunity to look at yourself honestly and with compassion. While you may understand the purpose of creating a moral inventory, you might need help knowing where to begin. The process is relatively simple—you will start by creating a list of all wrongdoings. Consider anything you have done that has negatively affected:
- Your partner
- Your children
- Your parents
- Other relatives
- Friends
- Employers or coworkers
- Strangers
- Yourself
It may seem daunting to think of everything you have ever done wrong to someone else, whether intentional or unintentional. But creating a moral inventory is an essential step in your recovery.
After you have listed as many situations you can think of where you have done something hurtful to another person or yourself, it is time to notice existing patterns that point to certain character defects. For example, you may see many wrongdoings involving lying to others or blaming them for your problems. You will also list these character defects to help you dive deeper into your flaws so you can begin to work on them.
How Is a Moral Inventory and Recovery from Addiction Related?
Defects of character can hold you back from succeeding in your recovery. Whether your flaws existed before your addiction or manifested as a result of substance misuse, they will play an essential role in your ability to abstain from substances in the future. For example, if one of your character defects is blaming others, you must learn how to take personal responsibility before you can expect to overcome addiction. Choosing a 12-step-based treatment program will help you create a moral inventory and work through each character defect to give you the best chance of lasting recovery.
Find 12-Step-Based Treatment for Addiction in Florida at My 5 Palms
At My 5 Palms, our caring and compassionate staff of professionals realizes that creating a moral inventory and recovery success go hand in hand, so we take the time to walk you through the process and address personal flaws. To learn more about how we infuse the 12 steps into our addiction treatment programs, contact My 5 Palms today at 1.844.675.1022 or fill out our online form.
