Step Nine: “We Made Direct Amends to Such People Wherever Possible, Except When to Do So Would Injure Them or Others.”
This week on The Living Clean Podcast, we continue our journey through the Twelve Steps with Step Nine—the step where the preparation of Step Eight becomes action. Our returning panel of Archer, Pete, and Douglas is back, and this week we’re joined by Brandon B. and Lucy for an honest conversation about making direct amends. We talk about what an amends actually is, the fear that can come before making one, the difference between an apology and an amends, and why repairing the damage from our past is about much more than simply saying “I’m sorry.” We also explore the important qualification built into the step—“except when to do so would injure them or others”—and why willingness, guidance, timing, and our motives matter. Step Nine gives us an opportunity to stop hiding from the past without becoming trapped in it. We take responsibility for the harm we caused, do what we can to make things right, and begin experiencing a different kind of freedom—the freedom that comes from cleaning up our side of the street. Join us for Step Nine as Brandon B., Lucy, Archer, Pete, and Douglas share their experience, strength, and hope about making amends and what happens when we finally become willing to face the people and situations we once wanted to avoid.
