Sobriety began for me in Nashville in May 1986. We were a small band of six or seven persons meeting once per week trying to avoid the terrible consequences of our acting out.

At that time recovery was mostly focused on technical sobriety. However, as my recovery deepened, my experience grew beyond freedom from sexual lust, beyond technical sobriety, to freedom from desire in the broad sense.

This is what the recovery journey aims for, to achieve more and more release from the power of lust. It has led to a more peaceful life with more gratitude than desire. It is the result of living the 12-Step principles and striving to unselfishly share them with others.

One of the best lessons I have learned is that gratitude is the best tool to combat lust’s constant desire for more, better, different. Gratitude helps me to want what I have and know that what I have is enough.

Exercises such as gratitude lists are helpful intellectual exercises. However, my goal is to cultivate a grateful heart. Today, I seek to be in a “thank you“ state of mind. I say thank you throughout the day at every opportunity to family members, friends, shopkeepers, my Higher Power, etc.

As long as I weave “thank you“ into the fabric of my life, a grateful heart will always come as a result, and when my heart is grateful it cannot lust.