Young and sober? It sounds like two galaxies crashing together! I am sexually sober by the grace of God, yours and my sponsor’s help since October 7, 2015. I have heard people say “Some guys get the grace from God, others don’t.” I do not believe in this. In my opinion, everyone has the same chance for recovery—and my God is a fair God.

I believe recovery is possible for us all. Our SA brochure “Am I Too Young to be a Sexaholic?” says: “I came to realize that the age differences and the differences in our stories didn’t matter. We were all sexaholics—sick people trying to get well.”

In my experience, it is actually a gift coming into the 12-Step program as a young person, reaching bottom and getting sober. Painful but possible. Peace and joy await us!

Reaching my bottom by watching violent and ugly porn, I reached out as a very young adult (I was still a teenager) to the life raft of Sexaholics Anonymous. I eventually came into SA at the age of 20, when most of my friends had a lot of parties, drugs, sex and relationships. And what about me? I needed to sober up! Staying sober and getting well? It’s up to me. We all have a “golden ticket” to recovery—the 12 Steps worked in a fellowship with my brothers and sisters.

I always wanted to lust, taking drugs, and drinking alcohol like all my friends and school colleagues who seemed to use these things without problems. It was very hard in the beginning of sobriety. It sometimes is a problem nowadays, too.

Coming to SA young has advantages. Now, with clearer thinking, I find that I do not have to destroy my whole life, my career, my family relations, my body or my mind like lots of other people did. I can step out of the elevator early enough, before going downstairs to hell. I can get sober before the disease progresses too far, as it will if I leave it untreated.

As the brochure says, “Our literature confirms the experience of our older members: ‘Our lust or sexual activity escalated over the years, crossing one line after another, first in our thought life, then in our behavior’ (SA 30). We were assured that, should we choose to remain in our addiction, we were likely to cross the same lines and suffer the same dire consequences—jail, divorce, even death—as those who came to SA later in life.”

Sobriety or relapse is an active decision! And I choose every day to stay sober—for just the next 24 hours. I do it for me. For a better life. For my family. It’s really worth it! Join me—I really need you!