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4th Step Inventory Worksheet

Work the three lists the way the worksheets set them out — resentments, then fears, then harms — one column at a time. The compass below draws where the lines point, and the sheet prints landscape with the columns ruled.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous. The columns are described in our own words, after the method in the book Alcoholics Anonymous (4th edition, pages 64–69).

Who or what I resent

Resentments · 1/4

A person, an institution or a principle, one per line. List them all before you write anything else: names only.

Press Enter for the next line.

The worksheet needs JavaScript to fill in on screen. The blank sheets still print: use your browser's Print command.

The pattern

Each tick in "Affects my" draws a bearing. The further a bearing reaches, the more lines point that way.

Self-esteemPrideAmbitionsEmotionalsecurityFinancialsecurityPersonalrelationsSexrelations0lines

Tick an "Affects my" box on any line and its bearing appears here.

My part, counted

Across all three lists, on a fixed scale of every line you have written.

Selfish 0
Dishonest 0
Self-seeking 0
Frightened 0
Inconsiderate 0

Names that come back

Anyone or anything on more than one line, in any list.

No name is on more than one line yet.

Print it, or take it with you

Print your inventory landscape with the columns ruled and a page for the pattern, or print blank sheets to fill in by hand. The print dialog also saves a PDF.

Paper

Your entries save to this browser, so you can stop and come back to them.

Cleared.

This can bring up a lot. Many people write a few lines at a sitting and talk it through with a sponsor or someone they trust. If you drink every day and are stopping, read the withdrawal risk checker first.

The four columns, in plain words

Each list runs down the page in four columns. Fill column one for every line before you start column two. Below, each column in our own words, with one worked line.

Resentment inventory

The book's pages, 4th edition: Pages 64–67
  1. Who or what I resentA person, an institution or a principle, one per line. List them all before you write anything else: names only.
  2. What happenedWhat did they do? Put down the event, as plainly as you would tell it to a friend, not the verdict on it.
  3. Affects myWhich part of you did it hurt or threaten? Tick every box that fits.
  4. My partSet the other person aside. Where were you selfish, dishonest, self-seeking or frightened? What could you have done instead?
A worked line
Who or what I resent What happened Affects my My part
My employer Gave the team lead job to someone newer, after I had been told it was mine. Self-esteem, Ambitions, Financial security Self-seeking, FrightenedI had missed two deadlines and blamed the workload. I could have asked what I needed to change.

Fear inventory

The book's pages, 4th edition: Pages 67–68
  1. What I am afraid ofOne fear per line, including the ones no resentment comes with.
  2. Why I have this fearWhy do you have it? Ask whether it comes from relying on yourself when that was not enough.
  3. Affects myWhich part of you does the fear threaten? Tick every box that fits.
  4. My partWhere has this fear made you selfish, dishonest, self-seeking or frightened in what you do? What could you do instead?
A worked line
What I am afraid of Why I have this fear Affects my My part
Running out of money I have never kept savings, and I hide the bank statements. Financial security, Emotional security Dishonest, FrightenedI lie to my partner about what I spend. I could open the statements with them.

Harms inventory

The book's pages, 4th edition: Page 69
  1. Who I hurtOne person per line: a partner, an ex, family, a friend, anyone you harmed.
  2. What I didWhat you did, plainly, without the reasons for it.
  3. What it stirred upDid it stir up jealousy, suspicion or bitterness in them? Tick any that fit.
  4. My partWhere were you selfish, dishonest or inconsiderate? What should you have done instead?
A worked line
Who I hurt What I did What it stirred up My part
My sister Missed her wedding rehearsal because I was hungover, then said I was ill. Bitterness, Suspicion Selfish, DishonestI should have told her the truth, and turned up sober.

How this is calculated

Nothing here is calculated. The worksheet follows the inventory as the book Alcoholics Anonymous describes it in chapter 5: resentments listed with their cause and what they affect (pages 64 to 67, with the example on page 65), the questions about one's own part (page 67), fears and why we have them (pages 67 and 68), and conduct in relationships (page 69). The seven "affects my" boxes split the book's "security" into emotional and financial, as most worksheets do. The compass and the counts are tallies of the boxes you tick; they make no judgment.

Sources

Our editorial policy explains how these tools and articles are researched and kept up to date.

Why a worksheet that moves

The worksheets most people find are copied PDFs with boxes too small to write in. This one gives every line the room it needs, keeps the column-by-column order the method asks for, and counts as you go, so the shape of the list is visible before you sit down with a sponsor.

Your sober days count on their own in the sobriety counter, and sobriety milestones puts the next ones on a calendar.

Asked and answered

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a 4th step inventory?
The fourth of the Twelve Steps asks for a written moral inventory: an honest list of the resentments, fears and harms in your life, and your own part in each. The book Alcoholics Anonymous sets out a way to do it on paper, in columns, on pages 64 to 69 of the fourth edition, and most worksheets follow that layout. This page follows it too.
What are the four columns of a resentment inventory?
Column one is who or what you resent: a person, an institution or a principle. Column two is the cause, what happened, as plainly as you can put it. Column three is what it affects in you: self-esteem, pride, ambitions, emotional or financial security, personal relations or sex relations. Column four is your part: where you were selfish, dishonest, self-seeking or frightened, and what you could have done instead. The book's own example on page 65 shows the first three columns; the fourth comes from the questions on page 67, and most worksheets give it a column of its own.
Why fill it in one column at a time?
Many sponsors and worksheets ask you to list every name in column one before you write a cause for any of them, then work down column two, and so on. Writing across a row tends to turn each line into a story about the other person; working down a column keeps the list moving and leaves your own part until the whole list is in front of you. The worksheet opens column by column for that reason. Switch to whole rows when you want to see each line in full.
What goes on the fear inventory?
Each fear on its own line, including the ones that come with no resentment, and why you have it. On page 68 the book asks whether a fear comes from relying on yourself when that was not enough. Most worksheets add the same "affects my" and "my part" columns the resentment list has, and so does this one.
What goes on the harms inventory?
The book's third list looks at your own conduct in relationships, sex included: whom you hurt, what you did, whether you stirred up jealousy, suspicion or bitterness, where you were selfish, dishonest or inconsiderate, and what you should have done instead (page 69). Many worksheets widen it to every harm you did to another person, and this one is labelled that way.
What does the pattern view show?
Every line where you ticked an "affects my" box draws a bearing on the compass, so after twenty resentments you can see which part of you keeps getting hit. Under it, the "my part" boxes are counted across all three lists, and any name that turns up on more than one line is listed. It counts what you ticked; it does not interpret it.
Can I print it or save it as a PDF?
Yes. "Print my inventory" lays each list out landscape on A4 or US Letter with the columns ruled, plus one page with the pattern; the same print dialog saves it as a PDF. "Print a blank worksheet" gives three ruled sheets to fill in by hand. "Download CSV" opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
Is this an official AA worksheet?
No. Rebuild is not affiliated with or endorsed by Alcoholics Anonymous, and this page is not AA literature. The columns are described in our own words, after the method in the book Alcoholics Anonymous. Groups and sponsors use different versions of the worksheet; if yours has one, use theirs.
What do I do with the inventory when it is finished?
In the Twelve Steps the fifth step comes next: going through the inventory with another person, usually a sponsor. The printed sheets and the pattern page are laid out for that conversation.

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