Temptations most often come to me unannounced. If I am working my program well, I stay away from places and activities that create temptations. Sometimes, the temptations make me feel guilty even when I didn’t seek them out or indulge them. A conversation with my sponsor helps me sort that kind of thing out. In every case though, I have a Higher Power, a 12-Step program in SA, and the benefits of fellowship which remind me to surrender all lust temptations.
This awesome article describes Jenya’s strong daily program routine which keeps her close to God and life. She goes in great detail to tell us about the tools that have been working for her—even after having moved from her country of origin to the other side of the world. Her recovery program includes daily program calls, calls with her DSR partner, an in-depth feelings diary, taking actions of love, accomplishing tasks, getting up early, structure, connecting with God during the day.
I write with gratitude for SA, the guidance of our Higher Power, and the excellent and dedicated work of the Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee worked diligently throughout 2022-23 knowing there would be a high number of Trustees rotating off the Board this past July. Needless to say, replacing needed vacancies was a critical challenge. Since April, five Trustee candidates were approved by the Nominations Committee and passed on to the BOT for consideration. All five candidacies were subsequently approved by the Trustees and forwarded to the GDA. Three candidates Gary P., Jack H., and Mathew M. have been GDA approved. Currently, two potential Trustee candidates await GDA interviews. The Nominations Committee continues to actively seek and invite applications for Trustee candidates.
It has been way over a decade since our founder died. Roy K. died on September 15, 2009 at the age of 82. He died with approximately 33 years of sexual sobriety.
Entering the 2023 IC Cracow hotel I walked straight into the welcoming arms of a Polish fellow who is a regular attendant of the Sponsoring by Mail workshop. First time we met face-to-face. It was meeting a brother. The entire weekend we couldn’t stop smiling when we worked together or bumped into each other. A real connection. All the troubles of traveling by train vanished at that moment, in hindsight.
Hi fellows. In this edition of ESSAY, we look at relapse prevention. “We never knew there was another option—surrender” (SA 84). In this quote from the chapter, “The Third Option” in the SA White Book, Roy K. reveals the key to stopping, and staying stopped! He stayed sober from 1976 until his death in September 2009 by practicing surrender. An oldtimer from Chicago explains that surrender is not some complicated, abstract process; it is simply, “executing the suggestions of the sponsor.”
Holistic Recovery—Healing Had to Come About in All Three In the December issue, members share what “Holistic Recovery” has come to mean for them—how working their SA programs has led to recover the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of their lives.
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.
The Foreword to the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous says that “Of those who came to A.A. and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on showed improvement” (AA xx).
At the beginning of Sexaholics Anonymous (15), the narrator says in part: “Then one night out of nowhere a prostitute jumped into my car . . .” (emphasis added). I used to think that my own behaviors occurred “out of nowhere.”
