The light of exposure
“These defects grow in the dark and die in the light of exposure.”
Basic Text p.31
The Fifth Step asks us to share our true nature with God, with ourselves, and with
another human being. It doesn’t encourage us to tell everyone every little secret
about ourselves. It doesn’t ask us to disclose to the whole world every shameful or
frightening thought we’ve ever had. Step Five simply suggests that our secrets cause
us more harm than good when we keep them completely to ourselves.
If we give in to our reluctance to reveal our true nature to even one human being,
the secret side of our lives becomes more powerful. And when the secrets are in
control, they drive a wedge between ourselves, our Higher Power, and the things we
value most about our recovery.
When we share our secret selves in confidence with at least one human being-our
sponsor, perhaps, or a close friend-this person usually doesn’t reject us. We disclose
ourselves to someone else and are rewarded with their acceptance. When this
happens, we realize that honest sharing is not life-threatening; the secrets have lost
their power over us.
Just for today: I can disarm the secrets in my life by sharing them with one human
being.