u/Odd_Shallot1929

Hi everyone,

I’m starting my 4th Step with my sponsor and I’m feeling a little confused about the format.

I’ve seen a lot of 4th Step guides online with multiple columns, really detailed prompts, and a lot of deep digging. But my sponsor ( 44 years sober) has me doing it very simply, straight from the Big Book:

I’m resentful at

The cause

It affects my (self-esteem, security, etc.)

That’s it—keeping it pretty straightforward.

Part of me feels relieved it’s simple, but another part of me worries I’m not going deep enough or “doing it right” compared to all the detailed worksheets out there.

I’m also curious—does anyone know why Bill W. kept the 4th Step format in the Big Book so simple? Was that intentional to keep people from overthinking it?

For those of you who have done the 4th Step (or sponsor others):

Is the simple Big Book format enough?

Did you use worksheets or keep it basic?

If you sponsor people, how do you guide them through it?

I don’t want to overcomplicate this, but I also want to be honest and thorough.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Hi everyone,

I’m 48 and trying to figure out if a new provider situation feels normal or a little off, and I’d really appreciate hearing from women who’ve gone through perimenopause and/or hormone therapy.

I recently started seeing a psychiatric nurse practitioner. He didn’t spend much time going over my mental health history but he did order a bunch of labs, including hormones. He also describes himself as a “testosteronologist.”

He’s suggesting possibly starting: an estrogen patch, maybe pprogesterone, and possibly testosterone

That part made me pause, especially the testosterone.

For context, here are my symptoms:

-Joint pain (knees, shoulders, back)

- Periods were very heavy, then I skipped 3 months

- Sex has suddenly become painful

- Very low libido (basically no desire)

- Mood swings / irritability (snapping more at work)

A few questions:

Does this provider setup sound normal to you, or a little concerning?

Has anyone been offered testosterone at this stage? Did it help or cause issues?

Did estrogen (with or without progesterone) help your symptoms?

Would you expect this to be handled more by a gynecologist than a psych NP that also specializes in hormones in men and women?

I’m not totally against hormone therapy, iI actually feel like some of my symptoms do sound hormonal but I’m unsure about jumping into multiple hormones at once, especially with someone who didn’t go deep into my mental health history. Hr was more concerned about talking about hormones.

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences or thoughts.

Thank you 💛