From the books ... Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) and Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (12 & 12)
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... defects.
12&12 p.46,
Step Four
As soon as he begins to be
more objective, the newcomer can fearlessly, rather than
fearfully, look at his own defects.
2.
... defects.
12&12 p.49,
Step Four
3.
... defects.
12&12 p.66,
Step Six
4.
... defects.
12&12 p.84,
Step Nine
5.
... defects.
BB p.72,
Into Action
This requires action on
our part, which, when completed, will mean that we have admitted to
God, to ourselves, and to
another human being, the exact nature of our defects.
6.
... defects all
of us have in varying ...
12&12 p.48,
Step Four
Now let's ponder the need for a list of the more glaring personality
defects all of us have in varying degrees.
7.
... defects and
admit them.
BB p.99,
Working With Others
8.
... defects and
had really admitted them, even ...
12&12 p.59,
Step Five
How could we be certain that we had made a true catalog of our defects and had
really admitted them, even to ourselves?
9.
... defects and
take action toward their removal ...
12&12 p.69,
Step Six
At the very least, we shall have to come to grips with some of our worst character defects and take action toward their removal as quickly as we can.
10.
... defects are.
12&12 p.48,
Step Four
Human beings are never quite alike, so each of us, when making an inventory, will need to determine what his individual character
defects are.
11.
... defects are
probably not more numerous or ...
12&12 p.46,
Step Four
They comfort the melancholy one by first showing him that his case is not strange or different, that his character defects are probably not more numerous or worse than those of anyone else in A.A.
12.
... defects as
these, and few of us ...
12&12 p.67,
Step Six
Nearly anyone could submit a good list of such defects as these, and few of us would
seriously think of giving them up, at least until they cause us excessive misery.
13.
... defects at
these rock-bottom levels.
12&12 p.66,
Step Six
14.
... defects based
upon shortsighted or unworthy desires ...
12&12 p.76,
Step Seven
We have seen that character defects based upon shortsighted or unworthy desires are the
obstacles that block our
path toward these objectives.
15.
... defects based
upon that alone, wouldn't be ...
12&12 p.59,
Step Five
Hence it was most evident
that a solitary self-appraisal, and the admission of our defects based upon that alone, wouldn't be nearly enough.
16.
... defects, both
sobriety and peace of mind ...
12&12 p.50,
Step Four
By now the newcomer has probably arrived at the following conclusions: that his character defects, representing instincts gone astray, have been the primary cause of his drinking and his failure
at life; that unless he is
now willing to work hard at the elimination of the worst
of these defects, both sobriety and peace of mind will still elude him; that all the
faulty foundation of
his life will have to be torn out and built anew on bedrock.
17.
... defects, but
in some instances this will ...
12&12 p.73,
Step Seven
We will want to be rid of some of these defects, but
in some instances this will appear to be an impossible job from which we
recoil.
18.
... defects contributed
to my financial instability?
12&12 p.51,
Step Four
Surveying his business or employment
record, almost any alcoholic can ask questions like these: In addition to my
drinking problem, what
character defects contributed to my financial instability?
19.
... defects deep
down in us under thick ...
12&12 p.54,
Step Four
Because our surface record hasn't looked too bad, we have frequently been
abashed to find that this
is so simply because we
have buried these selfsame defects deep down in us under thick layers of self-justification.
20.
... defects, even
though such disclosures were painful ...
12&12 p.47,
Step Four
First of all, we had to admit that we had many of these
defects, even though such disclosures were painful and humiliating.
21.
... defects has
been self-centered fear -- primarily fear ...
12&12 p.76,
Step Seven
The chief activator of
our defects has been self-centered fear -- primarily fear that we would
lose something we already possessed or
would fail to get something we demanded.
22.
... defects, have
discussed them with another, and ...
12&12 p.74,
Step Seven
But when we have taken a square look at some of these
defects, have discussed
them with another, and have become willing to have them
removed, our thinking
about humility commences to have a wider
meaning.
23.
... defects have
not been so glaring.
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
Some will object to many of the questions posed, because they think their own character defects have not
been so glaring.
24.
... defects have
thus demolished their security.
12&12 p.52,
Step Four
But all alcoholics who have drunk themselves out of jobs, family, and friends will need to cross-examine themselves ruthlessly
to determine how their own
personality defects
have thus demolished
their security.
25.
... defects, he
will ask, "Just how do ...
12&12 p.50,
Step Four
26.
... defects, if
we think we have any ...
12&12 p.45,
Step Four
We shall claim that our serious character defects, if we think we have any at all, have been caused chiefly by excessive drinking.
27.
... defects may
be glaring, but the chances ...
BB p.83,
Into Action
28.
... defects of
character.
12&12 p.48,
Step Four
29.
... defects of
character."
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
30.
... defects of
character.
BB p.59,
How It Works
31.
... defects of
character are not going to ...
BB p.100,
Working With Others
32.
... defects of
character" -- is A.A.'s way of ...
12&12 p.65,
Step Six
So Step Six -- "Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character" -- is A.A.'s way of stating the best possible attitude one can take in order to make a beginning on this lifetime job.
33.
... defects of
character removed, because we still ...
12&12 p.108,
Step Twelve
At Step Six, many of us balked -- for the practical reason that we
did not wish to have all our defects of character removed, because we still loved some of them too much.
34.
... defects of
character will be answered with ...
12&12 p.63,
Step Six
Of course, the often disputed question of whether God can -- and will, under certain conditions -- remove defects of character will be answered with a prompt affirmative by almost any A.A. member.
35.
... defects of
others.
12&12 p.78,
Step Eight
Moreover, it is usually
a fact that our behavior
when drinking has aggravated the defects of
others.
36.
... defects of
others could be cured maybe ...
12&12 p.148,
Tradition Four
37.
... defects of
their frail craft, every test ...
12&12 p.131,
Tradition One
And this they did find, in measure to transcend all
the defects of their frail craft, every test of uncertainty, pain, fear, and despair, and even the death of one.
38.
... defects of
these people, and sometimes used ...
BB p.50,
We Agnostics
Instead, we looked at the
human defects of these people, and sometimes used their shortcomings
as a basis of wholesale
condemnation.
39.
... defects, or,
if you wish, of our ...
12&12 p.65,
Step Six
40.
... defects or
theirs.
12&12 p.82,
Step Eight
41.
... defects, past
and present.
12&12 p.46,
Step Four
This the sponsor promptly proves by talking freely and easily, and without exhibitionism, about his own defects, past and present.
42.
... defects, representing
instincts gone astray, have been ...
12&12 p.50,
Step Four
By now the newcomer has probably arrived at the following conclusions: that his character defects, representing instincts gone astray, have been the primary cause of his drinking and his failure
at life; that unless he is
now willing to work hard at the elimination of the worst
of these defects, both sobriety and peace of mind will still elude him; that all the
faulty foundation of
his life will have to be torn out and built anew on bedrock.
43.
... defects, restitution
to those harmed, helpfulness to ...
BB xvi,
Foreword to Second Edition
Though he could not accept
all the tenets of the Oxford Groups, he was convinced of the need for moral inventory, confession of personality defects, restitution to those harmed, helpfulness to
others, and the necessity of belief in and
dependence upon God.
44.
... defects should
be called, let's take a ...
12&12 p.48,
Step Four
To avoid falling into confusion over the names these defects should be called, let's take a universally recognized list of major human failings -- the Seven Deadly Sins of pride, greed, lust, anger, gluttony, envy, and sloth.
45.
... defects taken
from them.
12&12 p.68,
Step Six
Some people, of course,
may conclude that they are indeed ready to have all such defects taken from them.
46.
... defects that
have made us hard to ...
12&12 p.84,
Step Nine
47.
... defects the
objectionable questions are concerned with.
12&12 p.53,
Step Four
To these it can be suggested that a conscientious examination is likely to
reveal the very defects the objectionable
questions are concerned with.
48.
... defects, then
where do we stand?
12&12 p.66,
Step Six
49.
... defects, there
will be little need to ...
BB p.118,
To Wives
If you both show a willingness to remedy
your own defects, there will be little need to criticize each other.
50.
... defects, they
have finally ambushed us into ...
12&12 p.54,
Step Four
51.
... defects they
themselves were trying to conceal.
12&12 p.56,
Step Five
They will tell how they tried to carry the load alone; how much they suffered of irritability, anxiety,
remorse, and depression; and how, unconsciously seeking
relief, they would sometimes accuse even their best friends of the very character defects they themselves were trying to
conceal.
52.
... defects to
another human being is humility ...
12&12 p.58,
Step Five
Another great dividend we may expect from
confiding our defects to
another human being is humility -- a word often misunderstood.
53.
... defects to
another human being we could ...
12&12 p.56,
Step Five
Most of us would declare that without a fearless admission of our defects to
another human being we could not stay sober.
54.
... defects to
another person is, of course, ...
12&12 p.56,
Step Five
55.
... defects to
be lifted out of us ...
12&12 p.65,
Step Six
This does not mean that we expect all our character
defects to be lifted out of us as the drive to drink was.
56.
... defects we
are still unwilling to give ...
12&12 p.68,
Step Six
Looking again at those defects we are still unwilling to give up, we ought to erase the hard-and-fast lines that we have drawn.
57.
... defects; we
have ascertained in a rough ...
BB p.72,
Into Action
We have admitted certain defects; we have ascertained in a rough way what the trouble is; we
have put our finger on the weak items in our personal inventory.
58.
... defects were
still there.
12&12 p.58,
Step Five
59.
... defects which
cause or aggravate them.
12&12 p.55,
Step Five
A.A. experience has taught us we cannot live alone with our pressing problems and the character defects which cause or aggravate them.
60.
... defects while
we blamed others for them.
12&12 p.59,
Step Five
Or anger and hurt pride might be the smoke screen under which we were hiding some of our defects while we blamed others for them.
61.
... defects, will
be obliged to admit that ...
12&12 p.68,
Step Six
But even these people, if
they construct a list of
still milder defects, will be obliged to admit that they prefer to hang on to some of
them.
62.
... defects with
another person.
BB p.72,
Into Action
Passages from the Big Book Alcoholics Anonymous
and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
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