Step 6: Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
The sixth step of Alcoholics Anonymous completes our honest review of the past and prepares us to release what fueled our drinking. By now we have looked squarely at our character defects, and we are getting ready to hand them over.
This guide walks through a Step 6 AA character defects worksheet, a simple tool used across the 12-step program that helps you sort through your character defects and become willing to let them go. Take it slowly, with an open mind, and remember there are no wrong answers here.
Download the Step 6 Worksheet
A Recap of the Previous Steps
Looking back at the previous steps brings this one into focus. In the 4th step, we made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves, and in step five we admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
That fourth step was a good, hard look at who we had become. Together with the work that follows, these are among the scariest steps of AA, yet each one is necessary for long-term sobriety and emotional sobriety. The alternative is the misery of the so-called dry drunk.
What the Sixth Step Asks of Us
The 6th step is short. The keywords in the step are ready, God, remove, and defects, and the desire to have our higher power remove these character flaws must be earnest and sincere. That it can be over quickly does not mean it should be rushed.
This Alcoholics Anonymous step is often called a step of willingness. The book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions is honest about the fact that no one reaches perfect readiness. In a practical sense nobody has it, and the best possible attitude we can bring is true willingness rather than the idea of perfection.
Most of us discover a sticking point, a place where part of us still says we are not ready to give something up. That is normal, and naming it is the whole purpose of this difficult step. This is A.A.’s way of preparing the heart for what comes next.
Using the Step 6 Character Defects Worksheet
The worksheet adds a new element to the inventory you have already done: imagining a future free of each defect. Think of the columns as forming a sentence, where the defect has an effect on your life, and if it is removed, a change will follow.
| Defect | Effect | Change | Done |
|---|---|---|---|
| Resentment | Keeps me angry and isolated | I can rebuild trust and connection | |
| Arrogance | Closes my mind to others | I become more humble and better liked |
Each row tells a small story about a problem and the relief that follows its repair. We will then walk through each column in turn.
Listing Your Character Flaws and Defects of Character
The worksheet lists possible defects only as a starting point. You can draw on the personal inventory you made during the fourth step, keeping this as a synopsis rather than a blow-by-blow account.
There is a complex issue here worth naming. Some character faults are not caused by an alcohol problem at all, and some people carry personality disorders or personal issues that exist apart from substance use.
List those too, because significant change can occur even when the underlying causes are unrelated to drinking. Our higher power can address any of these character deficits, not only the ones tied to addictive behavior.
Naming the Effect of Each Defect
What effect does each defect have on us? There are no character faults that do not in some way make life harder than it needs to be. Notice the negative behaviors, the worn thought patterns, the old habits, and the personality traits this shortcoming feeds.
What defense mechanisms rise up to protect the defect? More than affecting us, our flaws ripple outward and touch other human beings, sometimes in deep personal relationships. Step eight will later ask for a list of everyone we harmed, so this honesty lays the groundwork.
Picturing the Change and a Better Life
The change column is new and invites us to envision a better, new way of life without this defect. How would removing it make room for good things and let our life today feel lighter?
Keep your hopes realistic. We must avoid unrealistic expectations, especially where another person is involved, because they may have moved on long ago. Two people can heal and become equal partners again, but do not write down a fantasy as a hoped-for result.
The Done Column and the Next Step
The done box is simply a checkbox to tick during step seven, when we ask for the help of our higher power. Completing it marks the moment we truly let go of the character defects.
Many step members keep the 7th step worksheet close by so the two flow together. There are plenty of things on these pages, but the first place to start is willingness.
Keeping the Best Possible Attitude
A positive attitude helps more than force ever could. Approach this with an open mind, and trust that the best way forward is patient improvement rather than a single dramatic leap.
Change often comes in small doses over a longer period of time. Each honest admission is a little victory, and a string of little victories over a long time is how real freedom is built. This is the slow, steady work that the steps of AA reward.
A Lifelong Process of Spiritual Growth
Letting go of defects is a lifelong process, not a one-time event. It is the beginning of deeper spiritual growth and, in time, the spiritual awakening that the later steps describe.
This recovery program rests on practicing spiritual principles one day at a time. The same spirit runs through the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, and many find that ongoing step work keeps them steady in long-term recovery and supports lasting addiction recovery. Later you will continue to take personal inventory and make direct amends, all part of the same path.
Conclusion
At the end of this step, you should feel an increased sense of hope and a readiness to let go and let God. If you can do that, the seventh step becomes nearly a formality.
By changing ourselves through this Alcoholics Anonymous step, we also change outcomes for those affected by our behavior. That gift is one of the quiet wonders of this anonymous step in Alcoholics Anonymous’s program, and it starts with the willingness you bring today.
This article is for education and personal reflection and is not medical advice. If you are struggling with alcohol or other substances, please reach out to a qualified professional, an outpatient treatment provider, or a local recovery group. The Step 6 wording is quoted from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services.