Over three sober decades in SA there have been quite a few pieces of “bad news” for us sexaholics. They all arise, like our entire program, from our experience, strength and hope. Each issue of Essay under Practical Tools we’ll share some pieces of “bad news”: • We make a decision to get angry. Then we find something to get angry about. Same with resentment!
Service is a critical part of recovery, but it is one of the most poorly understood Program concepts, in my opinion. I’ve been in the Program for 19 years, and for 17 of those years, my idea of service was flawed. I believed service was about helping addicts only. I did not see it extend outside of these boundaries.
I have been in and out of SA for 13 years and my newest sobriety date in April 7, 2019. Why? I never put recovery first, until now. In the past 13 years there have been periods of sobriety, living as a dry drunk, and acting out and ignoring the Fellowship and the Program.
An issue that was nagging at me for the past few years was the state of my White Book. Pages were falling out and it was frayed in places. This was due mostly because it comes with me everywhere. Even though I have another White Book, my frayed copy has been with me to meetings in eight different countries on three continents, and to many countries without SA meetings. It is always in my backpack.
Literature sales: As anticipated, the Fellowship is showing signs of filling its Step into Action and Real Connection book inventory. The strong initial sales could boost 2019 Net Literature sales to $75,000 compared to the $60,000 budget.
Our literature tells us the only scoffers at prayer are those who don’t do it enough. The same might be said for service.
Long-time SA members were saddened to learn of the passing on July 12, 2018, of John A., an influential member of SA in the early years of the Fellowship. John sponsored many SA members in Baltimore Maryland from the mid-1980s to the 2000s. A lawyer by profession, John stressed the importance for recovering sexaholics to live by spiritual principles.
Dear Essay readers: This issue of Essay includes many stories on “Freedom Behind Bars.”
At first, Step Three for me (“Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him”) was just the surrender that I heard talked about in Sexaholics Anonymous meetings.
Bruce A., a grateful recovering sexaholic, sober since January 2019. I am thankful for the SA fellowship with our Bottom Line definition of sexual sobriety. For me, part of my daily working the Steps is reminding myself I am powerless over lust in all its forms. I admit that any lust drink can plunge me into the pit of my life being unmanageable.
