Magazine

APRIL 2025

“RULE 62” — Recovery is a serious endeavor, and we don’t take it lightly. We always want to take the Program seriously. We’re all imperfect, and it’s not up to us when we’ll become perfect. We surrender that to Higher Power. In the meantime, “Rule 62” suggests that we not take ourselves too damn seriously.

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In Every Issue

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Enjoy reading all the articles of the current magazine below.

Offering Instead of Only Asking God for Help
True surrender isn’t just asking for help—it’s offering ourselves to God’s plan.

In the Program, I’ve been building the muscle of asking God for help. “Help me be sober! Help me turn away from lust! Help me surrender! Help me! Help me! Help me!” As I strengthen this muscle—which sometimes requires an act of complete reliance—I’m also shifting my perspective to a gentler way.

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In My Sober Life
Finding Strength in Higher Power and Self-Discovery My name is Aaron M., and I’m a lust addict. One of the biggest parts of self-discovery in my recovery is the vast gulf that exists between who I am when I’m practicing sobriety and who I am when I’m in active addiction. They’re almost (but not quite!) two different people, with their own personalities and motivations. My sober self goes completely out the window whenever I take that first lust drink and the “other guy” kicks in.

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Images of Recovery
Making recovery artwork helps my own recovery. This piece represents the journey of recovery as described in the Big Book. The figure in the center symbolizes a recovered individual with his own unique light and color. As each recovered member crosses through the gate of freedom, he carries his own colorful light, contributing to the collective glow of our souls.

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It Wasn’t a Relapse
We were in our meeting, led by a local fellow. During a moment of silence, we heard a crack. We didn’t know where the sound came from. Another crack followed, and then another. Slowly, one fellow sank to the floor. One of the legs of his plastic chair had completely broken, and he was now on the floor. We were all surprised, and then we burst out in laughter. I told him, “Relax, fellow—that doesn’t count as a relapse.”

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Balding, Sponsorship, and Rule 62
Hi, I’m Eugene K., a sexaholic. I’m 22 years old and came to SA in September 2024. When I saw the theme about Rule 62 (don’t take yourself too seriously), it reminded me of how I found my SA sponsor. Back when I was new, I had my eye on this one guy I thought would be a great sponsor. He’d been in the newcomers’ breakout meeting, and I thought, “This is the guy.” A few meetings later, I finally decided I should probably get a sponsor, so I started looking for him after the meeting.

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Not Taking Myself Too Seriously
How lightheartedness and a little perspective can turn self-pity into self-awareness. A few days ago, one of my friends came up to me with good news. “I have a boyfriend!” she said. I was so happy for her. Then it struck me—I was (and still am) the only single girl among my various groups of friends.

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Who Says You Can’t Have Fun at a Business Meeting?!
A Fun Take on the Business of Local Meetings If you’ve attended any business meetings at your local home group, you know they can be pretty dull and uninteresting as a few restless addicts monotonously dot all the I’s, cross all the T’s, and measure out the red tape. Sometimes, this can be downright annoying and frustrating as members debate unimportant nuances of every motion or haggle over whether a surplus of $9 should be spent on tea or cookies.

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I Always Find What I’m Looking For
He kept relapsing until he changed what he was looking for.

I’m a low-bottom drunk. I was in active addiction for almost forty years. I was finally dragged into the Program fourteen years ago. Now, I’ve been sober for two years and three months. You do the math.

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Is it Lust or Love?
Lust was always a part of me, long before I knew its name. It had claimed me as one of its own in the darkness that would become my sexaholism—a universe-sized prison of my own making. My disease was quietly progressive. Some might argue that I haven’t hit my real rock bottom since my life has never been completely upended by my many relapses.

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Courage to Change
Overcoming Addiction and Betrayal to Rebuild Love, Trust, and Purpose. When I attended my first SA meeting in May 2021, I was totally immersed in lust and had already lost almost everything.

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