I remember my first contact with non-sexaholics who helped us. We got to know them at an AA open meeting. They were Brano and Marianka, two young and enthusiastic people who were interested in discovering why certain young people are unable to establish healthy relationships. When they found that pornography was such a significant factor, they eagerly began translating foreign literature, making it available in Slovakia, and doing surveys and producing statistics. They helped us with the first version of the Slovakian SA web-page and brought professionals into our first SA open meeting.
Subsequently, we got in touch with the management of a number of psychiatric hospitals, but the most fruitful cooperation came largely from general practice doctors and from clergymen. Now, some years later, we have sent emails to hundreds of parishes all over Slovakia inviting those who are interested onto online open meetings. The open meetings were planned to take place once a month for a year, the dates and links published on our SA web-page. Very few priests, however, took part at those open meetings. In the last few years we tried a number of times to get a meeting with the archbishop and finally succeeded, thanks to a particular priest who loves working with young people and who has seen with his own eyes the healing effect of SA on members of his parish. We also got a lot of help from Franciscan and Capuchin brothers who, from the beginning of our fellowship, accommodated us with meeting spaces and passed on our contact details to other sufferers.
Open meetings at SA conventions were helpful too. In one case a particular social worker got in touch through our telephone helpline number and subsequently introduced us to a journalist lady who then went around schools asking students questions about pornography. Thanks to this lady our members were able to share their stories and message of recovery anonymously in newspapers and on TV. Ultimately, these activities changed the attitude of some respected psychiatrists who had been reserved towards SA until then. We also have to mention the tremendous help we have received in so many ways from SA oldtimers from abroad who came to our country, ran workshops and spoke at open meetings.
Without the love, humility and determination of such ordinary, decent people, we would not be able to carry our message of recovery today.
Martin S., Slovakia
