ESSAY October 2025 - Grateful I No Longer Do That - Vince G., New Brunswick, Canada

His gratitude list was the hammer that crushed his guilt and shame. I didn’t think I was fearful. I was a strong, tough male who had gotten in fights before and played contact sports like football, hockey, and rugby. So I thought that I wasn’t afraid of anything. Then, after completing my Fourth Step fears inventory and talking to my sponsor, I realized and admitted that the fabric of my life was shot through with fear.  I had so many fears; I despaired of ever overcoming them! One of my biggest fears was the fear of other people’s opinion of me. I wanted to be liked, praised, admired, respected, worshipped even, whether I deserved it or not. And that was not happening.