Dear ESSAY, Recently my sponsor encouraged me to give program literature more authority in my life. He meant, take the literature as my personal truth and don’t divert from it—this is how I will get maximum benefit from this Program of recovery.
NEXT EDITION We're anticipating more wonderful articles in the February 2025 issue on the theme, “God As We Understand Him.” WE NEED YOUR SUBMISSIONS, though! If you already submitted something, it was lost when we tried to recover data and files after we suddenly lost Luc, our previous editor. Please submit (or re-submit) your ESH about “God As We Understand Him” to essay@sa.org.
My name is Raphael. I am a grateful, recovering sexaholic. I have been sober by the grace of God and with the help of all you in this program of SA since April 7, 2019. I am also currently serving a 50-month sentence for actions I took as a result of my addiction to lust.
I knew from the start of my journey in SA that our founder, Roy K. wrote Sexaholics Anonymous (the “White Book”) and then later learned that he also wrote Recovery Continues, Discovering the Principles, and several SA pamphlets. However, for many years, I wondered who writes all our other wonderful SA literature and what’s involved in the publication process. Then the opportunity arose to do international service, and I volunteered to join the Literature Committee.
In the chapter “Overcoming Lust and Temptation,” the White Book emphasizes the vital role that both AA and SA literature play in sustaining our sobriety and recovery, ensuring that there is at least one sober voice at meetings. These texts offer key insights into ourselves and a deeper understanding of the recovery principles. Roy states very clearly that Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve and Twelve constitute the basic texts of the original Twelve-Step program (SA 77).
The author of this article shares how he guides his sponsees through the 12 Steps, carefully following the program literature. This practice helps him stay engaged with the material on a regular basis.
Dear ESSAY, I wanted to share these photos of an unconventional meeting location. I am a grateful member of the Žilina SA group in Slovakia. One of our fellows was instructed by his sponsor to attend at least two physical meetings per week. He sometimes travels to distant members who don’t have nearby meetings.
NEXT EDITION The December edition will feature articles on sober dating written by members from around the world.
One of my friends in prison informed me that he is going to be paroled soon. He asked for advice on what he should do upon release. I asked him where he plans to live and sent him a list of meetings in his area with contact phone numbers. I asked if he had transportation to his location. If not, I suggested that he find a local bus service or transportation service.
The October edition will be devoted to “Using the Literature of the Program,” which is the eighth tool in the chapter “Overcoming Lust and Temptation” (SA 161).
