Dear ESSAY
ESSAY is an essential and vital link to the fellowship for a loner, like me, without meetings available and very limited contact with other members of SA.
Rule 62
How many sexaholics does it take to change a light bulb?
Who’s Helping Whom?
In more than one place in the AA Big Book it says “...and when all else fails, work with another alcoholic.”
My Little Ten Minute Trick
The hardest part of any Step work for me is starting my writing sessions. Once I get started, I usually have the momentum to continue because I know I’m doing a good thing for myself—like someone with a heart condition cutting down on salt.
Step Nine Amends
My Ninth Step amends were about changing behaviors on a regular basis for years.
God Is My Pilot
Recently I became acquainted with a new sponsee. I realized early on that he had serious problems: unfaithfulness to his spouse, involvement with prostitutes, and other faults which I too had experienced before entering recovery and working the Steps.
The Driving Force Behind the Addiction
Lust is the driving force behind my addiction, and if I allow myself to lust, then I will act out, sooner or later. When I consciously harbor lust, even in small amounts, it’s the same as an alcoholic taking a drink.
Living in the Answer
In early recovery I was terrified of my lust. It led me to cause great harm in my life, destroyed my career, nearly destroyed my family, caused a great deal of public shame and embarrassment for my wife and me, and cost a lot of money. I found that when lust came up, my fear made me fight lust, and that made the lust stronger.
Easy Does It, Even on the Porch
I was sitting on my front porch yesterday, enjoying the beauty of God’s world around me. There are lots of trees, birds, squirrels, and even an occasional deer to help me focus on the serenity of nature.
It’s a Gift
I’ve learned in recovery that sexual sobriety is a gift, granted by God as I understand Him. Sobriety is not something I can control, any more than I can control lust.
