Why are we the way we are, and why do we do the things we do? These are the fundamental questions we humans have been asking ourselves from the dawn of recorded history. The call to answer them can be traced back over 2,500 years to an injunction inscribed in a Greek temple: Know Thyself. AA's Step 4 follows in the tradition of self-examination which emerged in response to that call. Borrowing from religion, philosophy, and psychology, it's the most comprehensive and effective program of self-knowledge and self-transformation that's been ever devised. Though initially meant for alcoholics, it's available to all.However, Step 4 takes a lot of work. In it we are digging into a wide range of experience over a long period of time-the entirety of our past lives, in fact. An inventory of such depth and breadth can be daunting. It's easy to get confused, sidetracked, overwhelmed, and discouraged. Many of us procrastinate. Some never get started. Others abandon it early on. But even if we've gone through it once, we've barely begun to scratch the surface.For various reasons, these first attempts are very limited. That's why later in sobriety many of us feel the need to try again. Though sober, our recovery may have stalled. Maybe there are serious things about the past we skipped the first time around. Perhaps important issues remain unresolved which are still affecting us today. Or maybe we've gotten in trouble again, perhaps even relapsed. In any case, we feel we have to go back and take another hard look at ourselves. And yet, we're not sure we have the tools we need. We might have 10, 20, or 30 years in the program, but our understanding of Step 4 may not be much better than it was the first time we did it. This book is for those alcoholics. It's also for those, alcoholic or not, who wish to change and to grow and who are willing to practice the principles which have helped so many of us to become better people and to live happier lives.