The capacity to be honest

"What's different about serious mental conditions, though, is that the illness strips some victims of the ability to realize they need help - or even to know they are sick. Brain diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can attack parts of the brain responsible for self-awareness and insight. The disease itself makes the person believe that nothing is wrong." SFGate

Ok, I don't like the "victim" part. It's not a demon possessing us, it's brain chemistry. I'm not a martyr, I'm just... I can't think of a good word.

"There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest." How It Works

This part bothers a lot of folks with mental illness. "We're not stupid," I've heard them say. But we do have special circumstances. We are often impaired by our own illnesses into thinking we're not really sick, and that if we just stop drinking our troubles will go away. But that's not the case. Your mental illness (as long as it's properly diagnosed) is here to stay. It's not a matter of wishing it away. You need to realize that you are powerless over it, just as you are over alcohol, and that you need help.

So sometimes our brains can fight against our self-awareness, which is a great part of the steps - especially step four. You have to take a look at your resentments and character defects, which can be difficult if your memory is fogged by years of untreated illness, or even by medications, which can cause confusion.

But I believe we have the capacity to be honest. Just because we don't often remember everything doesn't mean we're not trying. And that's all you have to do: try. Just accept that it might take you a moment longer than other folks, but you can do it. We can do it together.