Guilt and Shame of Substance Dependence CBT Worksheet & Example Free PDF Download

It may not make things right or just, but guilt and shame in recovery it means you are willing to let mistakes that happen, happen and you don’t want to feel responsible for the things you can’t control. It seems like people usually speak about these in the same light, though they are different. They are both common feelings which can come from addiction or drug abuse.

Homeworks and Handouts for Clients

Below, we’ll break down these emotions and explore why it’s critical to confront both on our path to freedom. The 4th and 5th steps of the 12-Step program offer a clear path to healing these emotions. In the Drug rehabilitation 4th step, we make a searching and fearless moral inventory, bringing hidden shame and guilt to the surface.

• Connect with a therapist, counselor, or support group to discuss your feelings of guilt and shame in a safe and non-judgmental environment.
• The 4th step out of The AA Big Book asks us to face our past with honesty by creating a fearless moral inventory.
• Guilt can often motivate individuals to reflect, make amends, and take steps toward positive change.
• Guilt is the emotional response we experience when we regret specific actions we’ve taken—something we’ve said or done that violated our values or hurt others.

Step 2: Introduce the worksheet to your client

Letting go of shame and guilt isn’t a one-time event—it’s a continuous process that requires self-forgiveness, releasing resentments, and building a new identity rooted in recovery. The work we do in the 4th and 5th steps lays the foundation for this freedom, but maintaining it means choosing forgiveness daily and embracing the person we are becoming. The 5th step—“Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs”—is a powerful process of release.

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• Of course, addicts aren’t the only people who feel guilt andshame.
• Another exercise you can do to face your wrongs is to make alist of what your values are.
• Guilt and shame can be powerful emotions that can negativelyaffect our ability to move forward in life.
• Internalized beliefs about personal worth and capability can also contribute to guilt and shame in recovery.

This step plays a crucial role in helping us uncover the shame and guilt that have accumulated through our actions and beliefs. It provides the opportunity to reflect on our behaviors, fears, and resentments without judgment, allowing us to begin releasing the emotional weight we’ve been carrying. The 4th and 5th steps create the perfect process for addressing both. In the 4th step, we identify the behaviors that caused guilt, along with the deeper beliefs tied https://nanogen.nl/how-to-foster-gratitude-and-contentment-in/ to shame.

The 5th step provides the opportunity to release these burdens by sharing them with God, ourselves, and another person. This process doesn’t just offer relief; it lays the foundation for emotional freedom and long-term recovery. When we ignore our feelings of guilt and continue to do whatwe believe is wrong, we feel shame. Shame is when we internalize guilt andbegin to believe we are a bad person because we did something wrong and ignoredour feelings of guilt. The purpose of shame is to make us feel so bad that wetry to make right the wrongs we have committed. Ifothers discover the wrongs we have committed, our shame increases.