Absolutely, I still need both. I need the newcomer meetings to remind of where I've been, and I need the oldtimers to show me how to get where I want to go.

As for a step 7 issue getting in the way of step 3....we work them in order for a reason. Focus on step 3 right now and don't worry about turning over charactor defects until you do 4 and 5 with a sponsor. That's one of the biggest hindrences....thinking about future steps. Just like you live one day at a time, focus on one step at a time. A good step 3 right now will help you a ton, I do a step 3 about 10 times a day!!!!