Preparing for amends involves deep reflection on past actions and considering the intent behind them. Make sure you have a thorough 8th step amends list of people you have harmed and became willing to make amends to, which comes off of your 4th step inventory. Consult with your sponsor or a trusted person in your recovery community to find the best approach for making amends. This step ensures that you are grounded and clear about your intentions and the potential impact of your actions. Living amends demonstrate personal growth and commitment to change in recovery.

• Those who receive an amends see firsthand that people with use disorders can and do recover, becoming healthy, happy and productive community members.
• An amends letter can be a powerful way to communicate intentions when direct communication is not possible.
• In recovery, we can make an indirect amend with a person we harmed in the past, who since passed away, by volunteering time to a cause they truly cared about in their life.
• But remember, being intentional and realistic is a big part of making impulsive promises or actions.

How Making Amends Benefits Your Recovery

Demonstrating changed behavior and abstaining from repeating past mistakes are part of this commitment. In the making of an amend, be prepared for a variety of reactions including acceptance, indifference, or even outright hostility. It’s definitely central to respect the desires of individuals who opt out and to concentrate on your recovery, rather than on achieving forgiveness or easing personal guilt. Ideally, it should be done when the person is in a receptive state and ready to hear your apology. This involves considering a sustained period of sobriety and the readiness of both parties to engage with one another, at least for this purpose. 12-18 month, 5-step recovery program including addiction recovery, counseling, and job and life skill training.

Get Involved

The steps ensure that those in recovery feel supported, safe, and secure in making the next step to freedom from addiction. When you’re ready to make amends, you can find support to guide you through the process. Connect with 12-Step treatment programs to start planning your recovery. Apologies can only go so far in repairing past pain, but it’s a place where you need to begin to heal. Make a list of everyone you’ve made promises to that you didn’t fulfill, the people you’ve lied to, stolen from, or hurt in any way because of who you used to be, and apologize sincerely.

Benefits of an Addiction Treatment Program

Being helpful toward others can mean lending a hand to friends and family who need help moving, checking in on elderly parents, or offering to babysit their nieces and nephews for a parent’s night out. These changes in behavior help toward the goal of reestablishing relationships or making them stronger. To learn more about addiction recovery, including AA, reach out to Silver Mist Recovery. It’s not one we use too frequently in our everyday language, but it still holds significant meaning. To make amends means to apologize for something you have done or for wronging someone in some way.

An example of Step 9 amends is when someone in recovery apologizes for stealing and then makes it right by returning the stolen property. In such cases, symbolic amends such as writing an unsent letter of apology or contributing to a relevant charity can be considered. Taking the time to let the other person express how they were affected can promote a more effective healing process, as well as make things less ‘about us’ and more about the person affected. We must refrain from deflecting responsibility onto others or justifying one’s harmful actions while expressing remorse, or it discounts the whole activity.

A Choice for Meaningful Treatment with Dignity

• Additionally, individual therapy can aid in accepting responses from others.
• This involves considering a sustained period of sobriety and the readiness of both parties to engage with one another, at least for this purpose.
• The more personalized your lifestyle changes are, the more they’re going to resonate and stick with you.

The script also aids in initiating the amends process with an outreach message to confirm Drug rehabilitation if the person is open to receiving an apology. This makes the script a powerful tool for managing things in a structured, thoughtful, and sensitive manner. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Beaches Recovery is a 90-bed addiction treatment center located on the beautiful beaches of Jacksonville, Florida. Our approach addresses the physical, mental, and emotional aspects of addiction. By promoting overall well-being, we strive to support lasting recovery and help clients develop the skills needed to maintain sobriety in the long term.

• An apology consists of words, saying sorry for wat you did while in active substance abuse, and not much both you and the person you harmed can count on moving into the future of your relationship.
• Finally, your amends script should underline the commitment to change and transformation.
• If approaching the other person opens up old wounds or re-traumatizes them, making amends isn’t advisable.
• When a person has died, you can still make amends for your actions.
• Whenever possible, a direct amend is made face-to-face rather than over the phone or by asking someone else to apologize on your behalf.
• Resolve to work at making things better between you and keeping your promises.

They provide individuals with a living amends aa roadmap to recovery and personal growth. At Beaches Recovery in Jacksonville, FL, we offer evidence-based treatment programs that incorporate the 12 steps to help our clients overcome addiction and build a healthier, more fulfilling life. Living amends is a concept linked to addiction recovery and part of the twelve-step program for sober living.