When I arrived at my regular SA Monday night dinner meeting this week, I found that the restaurant where we usually hold the meeting was closed due to a neighborhood electrical outage. One member drove off, while three of us walked next door to a fast-food place to eat. I was feeling a bit distraught over losing my meeting, but as I walked back to my car around 7 p.m., I saw the meeting!
Some years ago, while sitting on a park bench in a university town and reading a book, I saw an old monk walking toward me. He was wearing a medieval-looking dark brown habit, and as he approached me he asked if he could sit beside me and talk.
I would like to share a few thoughts and feelings—strength and hope if you will—because I’ve heard that only by giving it away can I get to keep it. I recently had a magnificent transformation inside of me, and I really want to keep it!
Mine was the first name to be called. As I walked onto the floor of the sports pavilion at our local university and stood before 3,000 spectators, I thought, “I can’t believe I’m doing this!” Then I bowed to the judges and began the first move of the 24-Step Form of Tai Chi. This was a miracle of my SA recovery.
The best thing that ever happened to me was the day that my ex-wife threw me out of the house, near the end of 2006. I had been through rehab and in and out of SA, and yet here I was again, caught looking at porn online. My wife had had it. Thank God she was willing to give up on me.
When I got sober in SA, I had to learn what healthy sexuality is and how to experience true intimacy. I had never experienced either one for any prolonged period in over 30 years of marriage. My relationship was plagued with control and avoidance. My wife knew something was wrong, but for many years I denied it.
My name is Bill W. and I’m a sexaholic. My sobriety date is November 26, 1995. Until I was 73 years old, I was a chronic relapser. My addiction was costly. I ended up a disgrace to myself, my family, my church, and the religious order to which I belong.
My name is Pat and I’m a sexaholic. Last December I celebrated 17 years as a member of the SA Fellowship and 17 years of SA sobriety. I feel so blessed.
A detailed donations report is enclosed with mailed issues of Essay. The report is also available from SAICO. To request your copy, please call SAICO at 866-424-8777 or write to saico@sa.org. In 2008, an appeal was sent out to the fellowship to help offset a shortfall in contributions to SAICO. Called the “Quarterly Appeal,” this was a request for contributions from members, meetings, Intergroups, and regions.
Last July, I began serving as the CFC chair for the Los Angeles Intergroup. The mission of SA’s CFC is to carry our message to incarcerated sexaholics, and one way to do this is to participate in CFC’s Sponsor-by-Mail program. So early in my service, I introduced a Prisoner Correspondence Format in one of our groups (see format below).
