Step 1: Honesty

KEY PRINCIPLE: Admit that you, of yourself, are powerless to overcome your addictions and that your life has become unmanageable.

Studying the scriptures and the statements of Church leaders will help you begin your recovery. This study will increase your understanding and help you learn. You can use the scriptures, statements, and questions that follow for prayerful personal study, for writing, and for group discussion. The thought of writing may frighten you, but writing is a powerful tool for recovery. It will give you time to reflect; it will help you focus your thinking; it will help you see and understand the issues, thoughts, and behaviors surrounding your addiction. When you write, you will also have a record of your thoughts. As you progress through the steps, you will be able to measure your progress. For now, just be honest and sincere as you write your thoughts, feelings, and impressions.

ENCOMPASSED BY TEMPTATIONS

“I am encompassed about, because of the temptations and the sins which do so easily beset me.

“And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.

“My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.

“He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh” (2 Nephi 4:18–21).

• Do you feel encompassed or trapped? When do you feel this way most often?
• What situations or feelings weakened you so you gave in to your addiction?
• When Nephi felt overwhelmed, in whom did he place his trust? What can you do to place more trust in the Lord?

“I KNOW THAT MAN IS NOTHING”

“It came to pass that it was for the space of many hours before Moses did again receive his natural strength like unto man; and he said unto himself:

Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed” (Moses 1:10).

• How did Moses describe himself as compared to God?
• How can a little child be of infinite worth and still be nothing when compared to his or her parents?
• In what ways are you nothing when you do not have the help of God?
• In what ways are you of infinite worth?
• Write about how recognizing your helplessness to overcome your addiction on your own can bring you to admit your own nothingness and become as a little child.

HUNGER AND THIRST

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

“And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens” (Enos 1:4).

• In these two scriptures, we learn that our souls can hunger. Do you ever feel empty inside, even when you are not physically hungry? What causes that emptiness?
• How can your hunger for things of the Spirit help you be more honest?

HONESTY

“Some may regard the quality of character known as honesty to be a most ordinary subject. But I believe it to be the very essence of the gospel. Without honesty, our lives…will degenerate into ugliness and chaos” (Gordon B. Hinckley, “We Believe in Being Honest,” Ensign, Oct. 1990, 2).

• Write about ways you have lied and attempted to hide your addiction from yourself and others. How has this behavior caused “ugliness and chaos”?

HUMILITY

“Because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved” (Alma 32:13).

• Write about the circumstances that have compelled you to humility and to seek repentance. What hope does Alma give you? How can you find or receive that hope?

THE LORD’S DELIGHT

“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Proverbs 12:22).

• Writing the answers to these questions has called for a deep level of honesty about yourself. How does this passage of scripture relate to this kind of honesty? How can you become the Lord’s delight?