“I swear, this is it. This is the final straw. The last time I’m giving in to this disgusting, awful habit. The last time I’m degrading myself and letting down the people I love. I’m done.” Those were the thoughts playing in my head as I pondered the weight of that in which I had just indulged. Shame and inferiority swept over me in waves, leaving me desperate for some glimpse of rescue.
The theme for the December edition of ESSAY is “Fun in Recovery.”
Discussion Topic: How do I and my local fellowship cooperate with professionals?
Dear ESSAY, thank you for the wonderful suprise I received in the August edition on The Slogans. On p. 20 I unexpectedly found an article written by my sponsor with a picture of my cat “Milton” and an embroidery work I had sent her when I had been working on it.
A good deal of us came in through professionals of various kinds, whether they were therapists, helpline workers, psychiatrists, life coaches, or clergy members. The AA Big Book gives a clear recommendation not to disregard human health measures: “God has abundantly supplied this world with fine doctors, psychologists, and practitioners of various kinds.
I first heard about prison meetings from a member who started prison contact through the Gideon Society in Georgia. He told me that I would have to take a course in order to qualify to enter prisons. I then heard from a prison chaplain who was running a number of recovery programs that he would be interested in running an SA program too.
Joe was an SA member who lived some distance away from the nearest meeting and hardly ever got a chance to go. He had a few months’ sobriety, and his sponsor was very encouraging, giving him lots of advice. So Joe decided to start a meeting nearby.
My job is to take care of a large property with an orchard, a garden, and a house. A few weeks ago, I found myself in a completely new situation I have never been in before.
I moved to a regional city on the east coast of Australia over 5 years ago. There were two SA meetings in the city and sex addiction was a very taboo topic and still is very taboo.
Bishops, priests, and nuns throughout the Catholic Church are becoming increasingly aware of SA and supportive of recommending that parishioners with lust addiction contact the program for help. The Europe and Middle East Region (EMER) has recently been experiencing the fruit of focusing special attention on this outreach for the past several years and promoting the sharing of experience among its fifteen intergroups.
