We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
The time has arrived in our recovery to begin the process of making formal amends to those we have harmed throughout our lives by actively working Step 8. My behaviors during my active addiction were bound to hurt those I loved and those that cared about me. I hate to admit there were also some additions to my Step 8 list since becoming clean and sober. I am still capable of hurting people and need to take responsibility when I do. Step 8 encourages us to make a list of individuals, groups, and institutions we wronged and consider the harm we may have caused. My list included my parents, siblings, friends, lovers, coworkers, neighbors, and even complete strangers. I also added organizations and institutions such as the IRS, the Catholic Church, and the Police Department. Although it might not have been intuitive as I wrote my list, it was important that I also put myself and the God of my understanding on my Eighth Step list.