Recovery article

Step 10 of AA: Continuing Daily Inventory — How to Keep Your Side of the Street Clean

Step 10 is where the 12 steps become a daily practice. A nightly personal inventory keeps resentments and regrets from piling up and threatening your sobriety.

Article summary

Step 10 is where the 12 steps become a daily practice. A nightly personal inventory keeps resentments and regrets from piling up and threatening your sobriety.

Key topics include Step 10: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.", What a Daily Inventory Looks Like, Promptly Admitted It.

What this article covers

  • Step 10: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it."
  • What a Daily Inventory Looks Like
  • Promptly Admitted It
  • Spot-Check Inventory

Frequently asked questions

What is Step 10 of Alcoholics Anonymous?

Step 10 of AA is: "Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it." It is the maintenance step — a daily practice of honest self-examination that prevents resentments, fears, and unresolved harms from accumulating into the kind of wreckage that fuels relapse.

How do you do a daily Step 10 inventory?

A Step 10 inventory is a brief nightly review of the last 24 hours: Was I resentful, selfish, dishonest, or afraid today? Do I owe anyone an apology? Did I do something that needs to be made right? What did I do well? Five minutes of honest reflection at the end of the day is enough — consistency matters more than length.

What does "promptly admitted it" mean in Step 10?

"Promptly admitted it" means that when you realize you were wrong today — in an argument, a lie, a moment of selfishness — you do not wait for your next formal inventory. You handle it now: a quick apology, an honest conversation, a correction. Promptness keeps your side of the street clean.