Your cart is currently empty!
“The inventory illuminated patterns of resentment, fear, and selfishness. We started to see their destructiveness. We realized, maybe for the first time, that these patterns were objectionable. Knowing this, we were free to act in new ways that made us happier and even brought joy to those around us.”
– Life with Hope, second edition, page 22
Prior to Step Five, I was aware of the harmful quality of some of my thoughts and behaviors. They were objectionable, but I was unable to see them objectively. Sometimes I viewed this part of my life as one would perceive a garden that had become overrun with weeds. I would be overwhelmed and disgusted, thinking that I had hundreds of weeds that had become one massive, hopeless mess. I used avoidance and kept trying to start over in a new garden; yet the habits would follow to whatever new endeavor I began.
In Step Five my sponsor and I examined, row by row, my inventory. It quickly became clear that the problems I perpetuated could be narrowed down to a handful of common root causes, usually related to fear. I did not have hundreds of issues to address, nor did I have one unique, unsolvable dilemma. Through shining a light on the patterns of my character defects, I also began to realize that some of what I prized as the cash crops of my analogous garden were in fact liabilities, sowing misery. Steps Two and Three told me I didn’t have to tend to this garden alone. In Step Five, with the help of my sponsor, I gained a hopeful, realistic perspective on my recovery landscape. There was still lots of work to do, but this Step provided a new objective view of the task list!
Final thought: Today, before taking any major action, I will pause to ask myself if the motivating factor is faith and service, or if by chance there are seeds of fear or selfishness. If I’m unsure, I’ll bounce the idea off of a trusted third party.
Living Every Day with Hope – Copyright © 2025 Marijuana Anonymous World Services. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher. Marijuana Anonymous groups have been granted limited permission to quote Living Every Day with Hope.
Where Marijuana Anonymous members spark creativity by sharing experience, strength, and hope.
By, Chuck R. A lot of people in other 12 Step programs ask the question, “Why Marijuana Anonymous?” I tell them that for twelve years, I was in and out of AA and NA and could not put together any length of sobriety or stop smoking pot. I tell them that I could stop drinking…
By, Terri R. I will always remember my first MA meeting. I was scared and nervous, but I remember all of that melting away as the meeting started. Soon I realized, “This is where I need to be.” I could relate to what I was hearing. Listening intently, I was amazed that there was a…
By, Terry M. Today I have many things to be grateful for. In the past three years, my life has changed a lot. To list all these changes would be impossible. There are so many things I take for granted today that I would not have known before the changes of these last few years.…
By, Rich C. As a child, I called you Daddy.As I grew up, it became Dad.You didn’t often (or hardly ever) say, “I love you son.”Rather, you showed love.Often, we regret the things not said.Or, regret the hurtful things sometimes said.Before you died, you made amends.You said the things that needed to be said.You said,…
By, Anonymous Anger was my god, and when I look back to my time in active addiction, believe me when I tell you, all I saw was red. Not the rose-coloured glasses that tell you the world is a utopia, or the glasses you see others through right before the hurt. I saw rage, I…
By, Tanya Mc. Stepping into… I am absolutely powerless over weed in my life.I can honestly say i can’t stop using, once I start.It’s always, just one more time, but then;It seems to be a marathon, on which I embark. But, I feel like it is just me who is doing this.I feel like there…
Copyright © 1989–2025 Marijuana Anonymous World Services—All Rights Reserved
—Marijuana Anonymous World Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, does not endorse or accept contributions from any outside enterprise—