Steps 4 through 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous are often called "the action steps." They take a member from self-examination through confession, character work, amends, and into a daily practice of honesty. These AA speaker tapes cover the full arc of step work: the Fourth Step resentment inventory, the fear list, sitting down for a Fifth Step, character defects, making amends, and daily inventory.

What You'll Hear in These AA Speaker Talks

• Step 4 resentment inventory: how speakers identified and wrote down their resentments
• Fear inventory examples and how fear drove their drinking
• The Fifth Step experience: sitting down and sharing it all with another person
• Steps 6 and 7: identifying character defects and asking for their removal
• Making direct amends in Step 9 — the ones that went well and the ones that didn't
• Living in Step 10: daily inventory, promptly admitting wrongs, and staying honest

Step work is most often guided by a sponsor who has already been through the process. Many speakers describe how the inventory and amends process led directly to the spiritual awakening described in Step 12. For those just starting, understanding surrender and willingness is often the prerequisite to doing this work honestly.