52 Weeks To Enhance Your Sobriety
I have attached my goals for the next year in SA. These are to enhance my sobriety. I am going to do a goal every week and write about it in a journal.
Asia Pacific Online Unity Report
The March 2020 Asia Pacific Online Unity event was a huge success.
Focused on the Solution AND the Problem?
Can I focus on what I will do to deal with my problems without first admitting I have problems? What does “rigorous honesty” mean, if not to open up to others about my defects? How did I first identify with others in SA and feel that I belonged, other than to hear about the mess others had put themselves through? Why do we read in meetings first about “The Problem” before sharing “The Solution”?
What’s The Point Of Sobriety?
When we come to SA the most important question we can ask ourselves is “What is the point of sobriety?” Maybe we want to strive to “get something back” or to “get something” in the first place — a husband, a wife, a job. Maybe we work to be just “good enough,” mostly sober. Or maybe we just keep coming back to get support for our illness like Roy talks about in Recovery Continues (p67).
About Temptations
When you asked me about how to respond to temptations, I thought I could share a few suggestions and insights with you.
A Sexaholic Fell into a Pit
One day a sexaholic out walking alone fell into a pit. The pit was deep. As much as he tried, the sexaholic couldn’t get out. He tried to jump up and to climb up, but this proved useless. He was stuck in the pit with no apparent way out.
A Voicemail from Heaven
For years I had not set up a voicemail on my phone. It just did not seem worth the time or energy. Out of a sense of ignorance, I was not thinking of anyone else’s convenience. I suppose I figured I wasn’t worth leaving a voicemail for anyway. However, at the urging of my sponsor I went ahead and activated my voicemail.
First Light
Whenever I get into negative or obsessive thinking, I try to remember the great promise of recovery from sex and lust addiction as I first experienced it. We all remember where we were and what we were doing when first we learned of something that would forever change our lives, especially something that promised us freedom from a hopeless state of mind and body.
Self-Reliance Failed Me
Recently I faced the most severe challenge I’ve had in 18 months of sobriety. An explicit image and message appeared on my phone out of the blue one day when I was in a meeting at work. Like a deer in headlights, I was struggling to know what to do next. I thought it might be someone I had acted out with in the past.
Step 2 — The Strength of Allah
I was born in a religious family who always believed in Allah and His power. Actually I was believing that He can do anything except this one thing, so I had problems. I couldn’t pray and ask Him about this addiction. I was so resentful how my life was totally destroyed. I can’t describe the remorse and self-pity I felt every time I relapsed.
