A Guided 5th Step Worksheet with Questions for AA, NA & Other 12 Step Programs

View, Download or Print this Free Step 5 Worksheet with Questions

Click the button below to view, print or download the 5th step worksheet. It breaks down step 5, explains why it’s important and includes questions to help guide you or a sponsee through step 5. Scroll down on this page for a preview of what is included in this worksheet.

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Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

In the 12-step program, step 5 involves admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. This step is critical for breaking the cycle of shame and addiction and is a powerful tool for achieving spiritual and emotional liberation.

Understanding Step 5

Admitting our wrongs to ourselves can be a difficult process and admitting them to another person can be even more challenging. As human beings, we are protective of our egos and seek to inflate them by avoiding anything that deflates them. However, in step 5, we are forced in the other direction, to confront our flaws and misdeeds and to share them with others.

The purpose of step 5 is to create an honest and open relationship with our Higher Power. We need to admit the extent of our shortcomings and unacceptable behavior without minimizing or exaggerating. We do not do so to petition our Higher Power into providing us with a service of any kind, but rather to establish a healthier spiritual life.

Admitting our wrongs to God may sound simple, but it involves a complicated spiritual process. We need to focus on giving our Higher Power an unvarnished look at ourselves without claiming to hear or carry a spiritual message yet. We need to establish a full and healthy relationship with our Higher Power, which awaits us in the later stages of the program.

Admitting our wrongs to another human being can be challenging, but it is a crucial step towards overcoming shame. Once another person has been exposed to all of our secrets and still accepts us, the power of shame in our lives diminishes. It is an important part of the process by which we understand that, despite our flaws, we deserve to be happy.

How to Work Step 5

To work step 5, we need to follow the guidelines outlined in the previous steps. We need to conduct a searching and fearless moral inventory in step 4, which involves coming to terms with the flaws that preceded addiction and those that came because of it.

Once we have completed our moral inventory, we need to share it with another person, preferably someone with experience in struggling with addiction, who will not think less of us because of our experiences. Our sponsor is the natural and most obvious choice, but if we prefer another individual, that is fine too. We need to make the account we give to our Higher Power and a trusted person as complete as possible and not keep particularly painful or humiliating recollections to ourselves.

It is important to remember that this is not a stage when we should be dealing with judgment and other people belittling us and increasing our toxic sense of shame. We may have to deal with unfriendly responses in later steps, but we are not there yet.

Many people report an all-encompassing sense of freedom achieved as the baggage of shame is lifted from them. We need to build on this sense of liberation to maintain our recovery and well-being. We need to continue to examine our faults honestly and completely throughout this process and, if necessary, go back to the inventory of our flaws and misdeeds again fearlessly before proceeding with the next step.

Focus of step 5: Now that we have a better idea of who we are and how our flaws have led us astray, it is time to share those insights with others. The 12-step program believes that recovery is only possible with support: from your sponsor, your group, and your Higher Power. In these questions, we focus on the task at hand: the development of honest and genuine relationships with others.

Step 5 Questions

Have you lost an important relationship due to your addiction? Does that make it difficult to discuss it with other people?

Losing important relationships due to addiction is a common occurrence. It can be challenging to discuss this loss with others, especially when it involves admitting to past mistakes and harmful behaviors. Have you lost a relationship due to your addiction? How has this loss affected you? Do you find it difficult to talk about it with others?


Has anyone pleasantly surprised you by always being there for you? How has that influenced your recovery?

Recovery can be a lonely journey, and having someone who consistently supports and encourages us can make all the difference. Has anyone pleasantly surprised you by always being there for you? How has their support influenced your recovery?


Some people have practiced “tough love” with you during your addiction and recovery. Others have taken a softer approach. Which helped you more?

People respond to addiction and recovery in different ways. Some individuals may use a tough love approach, while others may take a softer, more compassionate approach. Which approach has helped you more? Have you had experience with both approaches? How did they affect you?


What have you learned from your sponsor? What would you change about them?

Sponsors play a critical role in the 12-step recovery process. They are individuals who guide and support us through the program. What have you learned from your sponsor? Have they been helpful to you? Is there anything you would change about them?


Do you fear sharing your fifth step with another individual? What is the worst thing that can happen?

Sharing our deepest and darkest secrets with another individual can be a scary and intimidating prospect. Do you fear sharing your fifth step with another individual? What is the worst thing that can happen? How can you prepare yourself for this step?


When you share your fifth step with your Higher Power, what do you feel? Do you get a sense of the response of your Higher Power to your efforts?

The relationship with a Higher Power is a crucial aspect of the 12-step program. When you share your fifth step with your Higher Power, what do you feel? Do you get a sense of the response of your Higher Power to your efforts? How can this relationship help you on your journey to recovery?


Once you have shared, write down what the experience was like. Were your fears overblown? Are you glad you did this?

Sharing our fifth step can be a transformative experience. Once you have shared, write down what the experience was like. Were your fears overblown? Were you able to let go of some of the shame and guilt you were carrying? Are you glad you did this step?


Do you feel ready to share with other people, or are you happy to leave it as is?

Sharing our fifth step with another person can be a challenging decision. Do you feel ready to share with other people, or are you happy to leave it as is? What factors are influencing your decision? How can you prepare yourself to take this step if you feel ready?


How step 5 helps us recover: Now that we understand our wrongs and have seen what others think of our behavior, we are ready to work towards their removal. However, we are now humble enough to understand that we cannot do this on our own. Read more about step 5 & the importance of admitting out wrongs.

Read more about step 5.

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