A Look at Step 10 of AA's 12-Step Program (2024)

Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA),Narcotics Anonymous (NA),Al-Anon, or any other program with a 12-step program states: "Continued to take personal inventory and, when we were wrong, promptly admitted it."

It may be one of the least popular of all the 12 steps. After all, it doesn't exactly feel great when we're wrong and have to admit it.

But without this step, progress toward recovery can not only cease, it can actually lose ground. Let's check out some of the benefits of step 10, along with ways we can incorporate it into our daily lives.

Unpacking AA's 10th Step

In step 10, personal inventory refers to emotional disturbances that can trigger a person to return to misusing drugs or alcohol. Watching for these disturbances on a daily basis—and taking a daily inventory—is an important part of recovery.

Step 10 helps to keep the spiritual house clean. We're all bound to make mistakes and errors, but owning up to those wrongs quickly settles the issue. Rather than having them weigh on our conscience or suffer greater consequences when they build up, we can correct the mistake nip the problem in the bud quickly, and move on.

Benefits of Step 10

Step 10 is another process that seems difficult on the surface but is actually as much a benefit to us, who are admitting our wrong, as it is to the person we've wronged.

By quickly facing mistakes and taking responsibility for them, it prevents situations from festering into resentments and anger that can become real problems.

For example, suppose you say something super insensitive, and as soon as it pops out of your mouth, you realize it was the wrong thing to say to that person. As step 10 suggests, you apologize immediately and tell the person that you were wrong and you should never have said it.

Then, you can walk away knowing you've done your part to make it right. If the other person wants to hold on to it and remain angry about it, it's their problem, not yours.

Tips and Strategies

Here are some practical ways to apply the 10th step to daily life:

• Admit when you're wrong. The act of quickly trying to right a wrong can keep our mental house clean and prevent ego from getting in the way of step 10.
• Take a daily inventory. Set aside time each day to meditate and reflect on your day—both the good and bad parts. Here are a few questions we can consider asking ourselves:

1. Was I dishonest or resentful?
2. Did I say or do anything that would warrant an apology?
3. Have I been worrying about yesterday or tomorrow?
4. Did I allow myself to become obsessed about anything?
5. Have I allowed myself to become too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired?
6. Do I suffer from any physical, mental, or spiritual problems?
7. What steps can I take to do better tomorrow?
8. What do I have to be grateful for today?

By Buddy T
Buddy T is a writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism. Because he is a member of asupport group that stresses the importance of anonymity at the public level, he does not use his photograph or his real name on this website.