Student will identify personal behavior, which has produced guilt, and describe the connection between guilt and childhood images.

Guilt 1. An emotion 2. Associated with an action, behavior 3. Objective; external Shame 1. An emotion 2. Judgment of self Embarrassment, humiliation Feelings of vulnerability, worthlessness, powerlessness, loneliness 3. Subjective, internal 4. Felt

Values, Conscience, and Guilt We acquire values as we grow up 1. Family teaches us “right and wrong” 2. Religion teaches us moral values 3. Society imposes its standards 4. All our values combines from our conscience Conscience helps us maintain “moral balance” 1. We are “in moral balance” when behavior reflects our values – conscience supports that 2. We are “out of moral balance” when behavior does not reflect our values – conscience “sounds off” when we ignore our values. 3. Guilt is a result of moral imbalance.

Substance Abuse, Moral Imbalance, and Guilt 1. The alcohol/drug, not values, controls behavior 2. As illness progress, the moral imbalance gets worse 3. A Vicious cycle is created: Guilt = depression = alcohol/drug use = more guilt 4. Regaining moral balance and working through guilt is necessary for recovery.

Steps necessary to regain Moral Balance Be free of mood-altering chemicals Get honest about behavior for which one feels guilty and talk about it. 1.Honest with self 2.Honest with others 3.Twelve steps work help with honesty It is necessary to sort out values 1. Many values help us 2. Many values hurt us Values based on bad information Values based on unrealistic expectations

Steps to Regaining Moral Balance/Less Guilt 1. Get Sober 2. Be honest 3. Sort out values 4. Accept power of illness It is necessary to accept oneself not as a bad person, but as a person who has an illness that controls behavior. It is important to accept that humans make mistakes, sometimes with great consequences. Yet a mistake can be corrected.