[One member’s reflections on an important topic.]

…We are still having some difficulty, however, with members who accepted the bottom line sobriety definition but continue acting out in other ways. This is particularly so with voyeuristic aspects of their disease as well as concerning relationship preoccupations.

I have attempted thinking through what some of these tensions are that people continue to have although they are maintaining their base line sobriety. It seems that they fight the progressive victory over lust. To me, it seems that as long as we maintain our bottom line sobriety, we continually see new pockets of lust. In other words, the top plate seems to reveal more and more aspects of our disease. Some people seem to be able to see that top plate and then utilize the steps on that new top plate as they did for the original sex with self and not sex outside of marriage concepts. Other people seem to hide behind their bottom line sobriety and even though they notice the new top plate, they are not willing to let go of it yet.

Over the years, I have certainly experienced the new top plates that show up but if ever I hold on to any of them, the discomfort becomes excruciating. Last month, I celebrated my fifth year of sobriety. It’s been a wonderful period for me. Lust is so much less a problem in my life today. I still have many problems in my life and still many character defects to be willing to let go of, but lust has not caused the havoc in me like it had in the past.

Thank God for Sexaholics Anonymous. Thank God for the gift of my recovery.