Overcoming Low Self-Esteem
I was plagued all my life by low self-esteem.
Breaking Through the Lust Barrier
I was born to and reared by two sexaholics. By the time I left home, I was consumed by lust energy. It was all I had known since puberty. It defined me, I thought.
SACC
More inmates are learning about Sexaholics Anonymous, thanks to the efforts of our members to carry the SA message behind prison walls. Some members are corresponding with and sponsoring inmates. Some are contacting state and local correctional officials to see if they are open to informing inmates about our fellowship. Some are working with SA groups inside prisons and some are contributing to the SACC Literature Fund so that more inmates can read about the solution to sexaholism.
What’s Going On in SA
A good deal of discussion within the fellowship over the last several months has centered around the issue of whether or not the SA sobriety definition needs to be clarified. The SA sobriety statement reads: “In defining sobriety, we do not speak for those outside Sexaholics Anonymous. We can only speak for ourselves. Thus, for the married sexaholic, sexual sobriety means having no form of sex with self or with persons other than the spouse. For the unmarried sexaholic, sexual sobriety means freedom from sex of any kind. And for all of us, single and married alike, sexual sobriety also includes progressive victory over lust” (Sexaholics Anonymous, pages 191-192).
Feedback Corner
The article from the March 1998 issue of Essay “Only a Deluge of Grace Could Save Me” touched me very much. After reading it, I came to realize that sexual sobriety is a gift from a loving and compassionate God to one who admits the delusion and betrayal of lust, who is ready to call for help with a sincere desire to recover, and who is willing to do anything possible to work the 12-Step program as suggested and guided by a good sponsor.
A New Beginning
Let me begin with a clear and obvious announcement to you. I am sick. I am very sick. And I was terribly sick. Because of this illness I am with you in the great and wonderful, life-giving fellowship of SA. I’m delighted to be able to do this.
I’m an ACOA and SA!
I hear many people at meetings introduce themselves like this, or in a similar way. Sometimes I hear, “I’m AA, Al-Anon, OA, SA and ACOA.” What kind of secret language is this? Why do we have to express ourselves in such a complicated manner? Why do we have to name a number of groups to introduce ourselves as people? What is this introduction good for?
The Benefits of Giving My Sobriety Date
I came to SA having been sober in AA for 17 years. In AA, I never celebrated my anniversary. I felt that the “numbers” would distract me from being aware of what is really happening with me — my inner thoughts and feelings.
Breaking Through the Bondage of Self
I was two weeks sober in SA, lying in bed in the middle of the day in a hotel room 1,000 miles from home, watching television. It will come as no surprise to anyone in our fellowship that I was consumed by lust and trying to talk myself out of acting out. “Look, Michael,” I said to myself, “nobody in SA expects you to stay sober right away. If you masturbate, you can always go back to the meetings and tell everybody about it, and nobody is going to be disappointed in you. And besides, you can always put together a couple of weeks again!”
Praying for Each Other
Recently the idea came to me that the members of our SA group might pray for each other. Our group has been growing, and praying for each other can be a way of supporting and strengthening each other. At each meeting, we pray for SA members yet to come when we have a moment of silence. How else can I pray for others?
