Twelve steps to recovery… Step 5- admitting our wrongs

September is National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, so Health and Wellness Channel bloggers are discussing the twelve steps to recovery as it relates to our readers. I will be discussing step number 5…

Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs

This is tough for me as I have never had to deal with an alcohol addiction and by no means do I want to equate anything trivial or simple with this very tough and spiritual goal of completing the 12 steps- so I will attempt to reflect on this as I think one with heart disease could.

We need to stop hiding behind our own excuses, problems and shortcomings and take responsibility for our own actions and thus disease process. Did I smoke too much? Should I have listened to my doctor more? Do I eat nutritious enough and exercise as I should?

You can be angry that you had open heart surgery but you need to own up to your anger. After 22 years of smoking, did you help create the problem? I am not saying you caused the entire issue but you have to admit and take stock in your wrong doing and allow yourself to move forward.

This is work in progress and it may take time for you to come to grips and own up to these things but once you do your anger should be lessened…. those that anger us control us.