SA Belgium was set up by members who had ample experience in AA and Al-Anon in working with a specific kind of professional: journalists. Our country doesn’t have the sensation-driven media-culture of some other countries, which makes for a safe and rewarding experience of cooperation, all in the spirit of the 11th Tradition. We have done about fifteen interviews with members of the written press in the past 14 years. We don’t speak in the name of SA; we speak anonymously from our own experience. Most of the time we only get a handful of inquiries, and a couple of newcomers actually come to a meeting.
By the grace of my Higher Power, I was able to participate in two interviews about sex addiction in the past year. The interviews were at the request of a national magazine and newspaper. Both interviews were a blessing to me. I experienced them as very useful and fulfilling twelfth step work.
The first interview I did was with a male member who has a lot more years of sobriety than me. It felt very safe to me that he was there; I would never have wanted to do this on my own, nor could I have done so. We went to the journalist’s house. I was able to talk about my lust addiction, what it was like, what happened, and how SA allows me to be physically and emotionally sober today. My SA brother did the same and could also answer the “more difficult” questions, e.g. about the Cleveland Clarification or the Twelve Traditions. The journalist was very friendly and honest. It turned out to be a nice article, and doing this service made me feel valuable, and most of all: it kept me sober.
The second article was for a national newspaper and had a different format: five of us held an open SA meeting in a meeting room at the office of the newspaper with a journalist as an observer. We read from the White Book and shared about it, as we always do. What immediately struck the journalist was how ordinary we were—not freaks, but ordinary teachers, clerks, and other regular people (not aliens, just formerly sick and now sober). She, too, ended up writing a very nice and respectful article.
I am very happy for any opportunity to chip in to remove the ignorance of and taboos about lust addiction. Our work with journalists hopefully opened doors for the still struggling sexaholic who doesn’t see a way out yet. I pray that he or she will soon find their way, and join us on the Road of Happy Destiny.
Nathalie V., Antwerp, Belgium
