Taking Inventory – A.A. Grapevine, January 1955, Vol. 11 No. 8
WHEN I first began to hear people in AA talking about character defects I presumed I possibly had one or two. I knew definitely that I drank much too much
but aside from that fact I was a pretty good guy.
One day I attended a meeting where a large sign was displayed:
CHARACTER DEFECTS
- Dishonesty
- Selfishness
- Resentments
- Egotism
- Fear
- Anger
- Hatred
- False Pride
- Self-seeking
- Conceit
- Intolerance
- Bigotry
- Laziness
- Frustration
- Impatience
- Condemnation of Others
- Inadequacy
- Jealousy
- Arrogance
- Remorse
- Self-Pity
- Revenge
- Worry
- Anxiety
- Uncharitableness
These words made little impression on me at the time as they evidently applied to someone else–not me.
At meeting after meeting that infernal sign stared me in the face. I resented it.
One day I said so to myself and then I realized I was showing evidence of both
resentment and anger. Maybe, I said to myself, I did have a character defect
or two; maybe I should look them all over a bit more carefully.