AA Fear Inventory Examples And Worksheet

Your AA Step 4 Guide to Outgrowing Your Fears and Thriving

Step 4 of Alcoholics Anonymous helps their members make great strides toward physical and emotional sobriety by challenging them to take a searching and fearless moral inventory.

Hanging onto past bad habits can make recovery feel ‘weighed down’ by their corrosive effect; conversely, addressing and confronting them head-on can liberate you from negative feelings.

Our AA fear inventory examples and worksheet can help you through this part of the 12-step program.

At Icarus Nevada, we recognize the value of the AA process, particularly as an additional support system following graduation from a formal treatment program. However, we don’t agree with all the original language in the Alcoholics Anonymous program materials.

For example, we don’t want readers to confuse taking a moral inventory with a belief that alcohol use disorder is a moral failing – it’s a notion we firmly reject. We know that trauma and fear affect addiction, so we prefer to call this a “Fear List,” not a moral inventory.

Another short word. We also remain a spiritually neutral treatment center. While AA requires a belief in a Higher Power, we don’t require our clients to have any particular spiritual or religious belief system. We respect everyone’s path to healing regardless of religious affiliation (if any).

Despite our concerns about elements of historical AA language, our AA Fourth Step inventory worksheets can help you find freedom from those ill-advised old plans, attitudes, and habits.

AA Big Book Review: How Did You Get to the 4th Step?

Let’s review the progress you’ve made so far in your alcohol addiction program, following the steps as suggested in the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Big Book. You’ll read about ‘Elisa,’ whose past experiences led her to get professional treatment.

With weekly AA meetings, Elisa has stayed clean and sober, with no relapses: her future looks better and her daily life is fulfilling in ways it was not previously.

Step One of Alcoholics Anonymous Recognizes Powerlessness Over Alcohol

“We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.”

Elisa had tried managing her drinking problem for years but couldn’t reach long-term sobriety. She attended Icarus Nevada, where she made significant self-discoveries and learned new coping tools. After graduating from her program, she recognized the need for more support. She was afraid all the hard work would unravel and her relationships, work, and self-esteem would fall apart. She stopped denying the need for a little more help and recognized the exact nature of her alcohol addiction.

Step Two of AA Recognizes a Higher Power

“We came to believe that a Higher Power could restore us to sanity.”

Elisa had grown up attending church with her family, but she stopped going and stopped believing in her early twenties. She decided that the structure and support systems of her faith would be stronger than isolation. She recognized that God’s strength could help her rebuild trust – in others and in herself.

Step Three Gives God Responsibility Over One’s Life

” We made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.”

Instead of trying to control everything, Elisa learned to surrender to His will. She showed up for AA meetings and follow-up counseling appointments. She also learned to accept help from her loved ones. The act of giving her life into His care started a renewal of spiritual growth that supported sober living.

The Fourth Step Requires Conducting a Fearless Moral Inventory Process

“We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.”

Now, Elisa is starting the 4th step, an action step that requires her to examine any character defects or fears that have contributed to her alcohol use. She knows that God removes her past failures and shortcomings in a future step.

Still, she’s finding the rigorous honesty a bit overwhelming. Pen and paper in hand, she has printed off a PDF-file resentment inventory worksheet and commits to continue the fact-facing process.

Our Fourth Step Inventory Worksheets Help You Face Your Fears

Elisa is ready to complete her fourth step inventory. The worksheet will help her reflect and write, one section at a time. She knows that 4th step work will be uncomfortable and difficult, but she’s ready to acknowledge how her fears and behaviors could mean a relapse if she doesn’t reconcile them.

1 – Write out Your Fear List

Start your fear inventory by making a list of the things you’re fearful of. These are roadblocks to lasting recovery. Letting go of past fears is a freeing experience and will help you find the spiritual awakening in the Alcoholics Anonymous process..

Elisa writes this on her fear inventory: “I feel threatened by anything that might cause public humiliation – tripping down the steps, speaking in public, or even meeting new people in social settings. I understand now that drinking helped me feel more confident, but that type of confidence was short-lived and made things even worse.” I also feel fear for my family – what will happen with them if I continue to be an alcoholic?”

2 – Write Down Your Resentment Inventory

Resentment leads to a cycle of blame, poor emotional balance, fear, and anxiety – all of which can cause someone to crave alcohol. Writing about your resentments helps you release the negative thoughts and make space for a positive, sobriety-supporting new attitude.

Elisa writes on her form: “I harbor resentment for the people who took advantage of my insecurity and low self-esteem for sex relations. I’ve used my sexuality for self-seeking reasons, usually to control or gain some advantage over others or to mask a fear. The truth is that I sometimes found it easy to rely on such people to meet my needs instead of trying to improve my life. I also resent myself for lowering my own moral code and becoming so manipulative.”

3 – List Memories of Unacceptable Things You’ve Done While Drinking

Your fear inventory sheet also provides space to consider the things you’ve done that don’t align with your values or morals. People often hide their fears and insecurities in life by using drugs or drinking, leading to behaviors that would never happen if the person had stayed sober.

Elisa writes this on her form: “Drinking has affected my behavior on too many occasions to count. Hiding my fears drove me to drink more often than I should have – and to do things I never imagined doing. I risked my life and others by drinking and driving, lied to friends about how bad my drinking problem was, and put myself in harm’s way by going home with strangers.”

4- Relationship Negativity

The final section on your 4th step fear inventory asks you to consider any negative or dysfunctional relationships you’ve had. Many who struggle with substance use fear being alone, so they form co-dependent or abusive relationships to both fill the void of loneliness and to cover up their fears.

Elisa writes on her fear inventory: “I have had a series of short, failed relationships throughout my struggles with drinking. I have used people for companionship, to help pay my bills, or to feel supported, and then discarded them when I no longer benefited from them. My toxic relationship pattern has been my own doing. I hope to find a meaningful relationship one day, but recovery remains my top priority.”

Useful Tips for Completing Your 4th Step Worksheets