Sex Addicts Anonymous
Language: English
Pages: 326
ISBN: 0976831317
Format: PDF / Kindle (mobi) / ePub
Attending SAA meetings starts us on a new way of life. But while the SAA fellowship supports our recovery, the actual work of recovery is described in the Twelve Steps. Meetings are forums for learning how to integrate the steps into our lives. Working the Twelve Steps leads to a spiritual transformation that results in sustainable relief from our addiction.
before I ask for help. Prayer becomes a last resort, when it could be my first resort. When I finally give up trying to do it all by myself, I say, “God, I’m scared, I’m confused, I don’t know what’s going to happen, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do, but I’m willing to accept whatever your will is for me.” Once I do this, everything works out fine, often in ways I never even imagined. Things line up that I never could have forced or manipulated into happening. When my plans don’t work out,
it’s because God has something much better in mind. Perhaps the most important thing I do to stay sexually sober is to carry the message of recovery through the Twelve Steps of SAA to other sex addicts who are still suffering from this disease. When nothing else will keep me sober, working with another sex addict will remove my desire to act out. Whether it’s walking someone through the steps, getting information about our meetings to the general public, sharing my experience at a meeting, or
After completing our moral inventory, we are challenged in Step Five to take another leap. We now need to admit the whole truth we have discovered to God, to ourselves, and to another person. Working the Fifth Step helps relieve us of the burden of our secrets, break through our isolation, and face ourselves honestly in a way we cannot do alone. With the Fifth Step, we come out into the open. As active sex addicts, we hid who we were and what we were doing— from others, but also from ourselves.
what we knew in our addiction. We notice this by the difference in our feelings. We don’t feel compulsive, driven, or off in another world. Instead, we are emotionally present during sexual activity. This may seem uncomfortable or frightening, especially at first. By practicing honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, we are able to discover healthier experiences of sexuality. There are numerous ideas and suggestions about healthier sexuality that have been offered by SAA members, based on our
recovery. When I was deep into my addiction, my mind was fogged over. My spirit was in disrepair. Abstinence has blessed me with a degree of clarity, even a measure of calmness. Calmness has allowed me to see what I really want and need. In my morning prayers I ask that kindness be my guide, not apprehension and fear. Last week my wife and I bought matching plants and placed them outside my office door. In the early morning my eyes are drawn to the plants. With their leaves reaching to the sky