I'm just starting out with the AWG self-esteem 12 Steps, and to be honest, I don't  have a lot of faith that this will work for me. One of the reasons I have such bad self-esteem in the first place is that I can never finish anything. Won't trying the 12 Steps just lead to another failure?

Another question I ask myself is, do I even have the energy to do the 12 Steps? I feel so overwhelmed everyday already. The idea of doing a workbook regularly or having a new person to keep in touch with is so intimidating. I'm feeling worse about myself just considering that I'm probably not up to even these simple things. And to use a keyword from Step 1, I'm worried that these extra commitments will make my life more unmanageable. 

I can't be the only one feeling this way. It would help me to hear about others who know what it's like. For instance, maybe you have a modified way of interacting with the 12 Steps that isn't so involved? Did you ever take a step back mid-process, and if so, how did you feel okay about that? Any input would be great.

Share questions:

• Did you ever fear that starting the 12 Steps would hurt your self-esteem in the long run? Where did the fear come from? How did you deal with it?
• Have you modified anything about your 12 Step process that helped you to stick with it?
• Did you ever take a step back from the 12 Steps? What happened? How did you feel okay about it? How did you re-engage?
• Any specific fears about aspects of the 12 Steps that aren't friendly to your traits? Executive function? Social aspects? Black and white thinking? Perfectionism? Other? Were you able to modify your engagement to work around or compliment this? 
• Any tools, strategies, or resources that helped you?
• Anything else to add?