First Step Presentation

There are many ways of taking a First Step.  In some meetings, time is set aside for formal presentations.  Essentially, this involves writing answers to a series of questions and then sharing them on a group level.  These questions, found in the pamphlet, First Step to Recovery, range from the specifics of our acting-out history to the conse­quences of our addiction.  If formal First Step meetings are available in your fellowship, you may want to attend several to see how other people do it.

For a newcomer, the idea of this degree of self-disclosure with a group may seem unthinkable.  This is to be expected.  Typically, we first share this type of written First Step by reading it to our sponsor or to another trusted member.  Doing so enables us to get some initial feedback about various issues, such as the amount of graphic detail and whether we focus enough on the elements of powerlessness and unmanageability.  When we feel ready, we then share our first step on a group level to avail ourselves of the accep­tance of people who have suffered as we have.  By letting others hear the specific ways we acted out, we shine a light into that darkness.  We form a bond by supporting and listening to one another.  We find freedom from secrecy and shame.