Sexaholics

Anonymous

SA
As a Resource
for the Health
& Helping
Professional

A Twelve Step recovery

program for those who
have problems with
sexual thinking and
behavior
 Sexaholics Anonymous
Statement of Principle
We have a solution. We don’t claim it’s for
everybody, but for us, it works. If you identify
with us and think you may share our problem,
we’d like to share our solution with you (SA 2).

In defining sobriety, we do not speak for those

outside Sexaholics Anonymous. We can only
speak for ourselves. Thus, for the married
sexaholic, sexual sobriety means having no
form of sex with self or with persons other than
the spouse. In SA’s sobriety definition, the term
“spouse” refers to one’s partner in a marriage
between a man and a woman. For the unmarried
sexaholic, sexual sobriety means freedom from
sex of any kind. And for all of us, single and
married alike, sexual sobriety also includes
progressive victory over lust (SA 191-192).

Passed by the General Delegate Assembly

February 2010

The only requirement for SA membership is a

desire to stop lusting and become sexually sober
according to the SA sobriety definition.
Any two or more sexaholics gathered together
for SA sobriety according to the SA sobriety
definition may call themselves an SA group.
Meetings that do not adhere to and follow
Sexaholics Anonymous’ sobriety statement as
set forth in the foregoing Statement of Principle
adopted by the General Delegate Assembly in
2010 are not SA meetings and shall not call
themselves SA meetings.

Addendum to the Statement of Principle passed

by the General Delegate Assembly on July 2016.
A Resource for You

In your practice as a helping professional, you

may have occasion to counsel someone who
is experiencing unmanageability in his or her
life due to sexually destructive thinking and
behavior.

Sexaholics Anonymous is a Twelve Step

program of recovery for men and women
based on the principles of Alcoholics
Anonymous. When based on a foundation
of sexual sobriety and personal action, the
Twelve Steps and Traditions of SA become
the beginning of a whole new way of life.

Professionals who work with individuals who

experience these issues may find SA to be a
valuable resource because it complements the
work they are doing with their clients. It is not
treatment or therapy of any kind. Meetings
are open only to those who want to stop their
sexually destructive thinking and behavior
and are seeking help for their own problems
through our program of recovery.

Those professionals, who work with sex

addicts, or sexaholics, share a common
purpose with Sexaholics Anonymous—to
help the sexaholics recover and lead healthy,
productive lives.

How the Program Works

SA is a fellowship of men and women helping

one another recover from addiction to lust,
sex, and/or relationships. SA was started by

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those who found the spiritual program of
Alcoholics Anonymous provided recovery
when nothing else worked. Each group’s
primary purpose is to stay sexually sober and
help others to achieve sexual sobriety.

Meetings

Central to the fellowship are its meetings

which are conducted autonomously by SA
groups in cities and towns around the USA,
Canada, and the world. The majority of SA
meetings are open only to those who have the
problem and want to try SA’s solution. The
only requirement for membership is a desire
to stop lusting and become sexually sober.

Anonymity

What is said in meetings and in private

conversations among members is kept
confidential. Members are protective of this
anonymity due to the sensitive nature of
sexual addiction. Members openly share the
program of recovery but not the names of the
individuals in it.

SA and Sexaholism

There is still considerable controversy over

the nature of sexual addiction. Many pro-
fessionals do not believe that it exists or that
calling it an addiction may confuse or cause
harm to their clients. The trend of research on
the subject reveals that the concept of what
constitutes addiction is evolving.

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We speak from our own experience in re-
covery. In many respects, we identify strongly
with those who are alcoholic or drug addiced.
That is, when dealing with sex or lust, we
undergo a personality change and persist in
offensive or dangerous behaviors despite
negative consequences. Hence, we call
ourselves “sex drunks” or “sexaholics.” Like
the alcoholic, who is powerless over alcohol,
we cannot stop once we are exposed to lust.
Lust, for us, may include any sexual behavior.
Lust also may be a mindset in which fantasy
replaces our awareness of reality and in which
an intense longing impels us to shape the
world around us to our inner desires.

Some common characteristics of male and

female sexaholics include isolation, depres-
sion, guilt, and a deep sense of emptiness. Our
common behaviors include fantasizing about
sexual and other selfcentered desires, harmful
co-dependent relationships, compulsive
masturbation, use of pornography, including
the Internet, promiscuous sexual relationships,
adulterous affairs, and compulsive pursuit of
exhibitionism or sexually abusive relation-
ships, regardless of legal consequences.

We find that we cannot successfully recover

without a fellowship of other sexaholics
gathered for support. We find that we must
first stop our sexual acting-out in all forms
and seek a spiritual solution for our problem.
We find that we must thoroughly examine our
character and progressively seek to change
those patterns which led us to resort to fantasy
and sexual misbehavior in the first place.

5
Our goal is healing from a life-long practice
of unhealthy thoughts and actions. Our expe-
rience leads us to believe that participation in
Sexaholics Anonymous can complement your
therapeutic efforts with your clients suffering-
from sexual compulsions.

What Some Health and Helping

Professionals Have Learned

Naturally, there may be skeptics about the

need for, as well as the effectiveness of, a
program of recovery for sexual addiction.
However, increasing numbers of therapists,
clergy, physicians, and health and helping
professionals of all types are finding that
these programs offer their clients the help and
support that a spiritual program based on the
Twelve Steps can provide. Sharing our
experience with peers is the special benefit
Sexaholics Anonymous offers.

Some Common Objections to SA

“What do you mean, ’You have an addiction’?

Are you crazy?”

Regardless of whether you characterize this as

a problem, compulsive disorder, or addiction,
the destructive effects are the same. For the
program of Sexaholics Anonymous, we don’t
get carried away analyzing what caused our
behavior or attitudes. We focus on finding
solutions to the problem behaviors.

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“It’s too religious.”

In fact, SA is not a religious but a spiritual

program. It refers to a “Higher Power” and
“God as we understand Him,” but no belief in
God is necessary to become a member;
atheists and agnostics find others like them-
selves in this and other Twelve Step programs
of recovery.

“I don’t want to be associated with sick

people like that. I have my reputation to
consider!”

People in SA come from all walks of life, like

the AA adage—“from Park Avenue to park
bench.” Although our stories may be different,
the unmanageability and progressive negative
effects in multiple areas of our lives (personal,
family, marital, legal, financial, occupational,
and spiritual) are devastating.

“If I have to stand up and share this problem

with other people, I think I would rather die!”

Sharing at SA meetings is not compulsory.

We have found that secrecy and isolation only
perpetuate and compound these issues. “Lead-
ing with our weakness” keeps members on the
path of recovery.

Attending the First SA Meeting

When professionals recommend SA, we sug-

gest they advise their clients to attend at least
six meetings.

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We recommend that newcomers identify
themselves at the beginning of the meeting,
usingtheir first names only. In meetings, mem-
bers share their own experience, strength, and
hope. Fellowship before, after, and between
meetings is an important part of our recovery.

Obtaining a temporary sponsor is also

recommended because most newcomers will
have many questions. The sponsor can answer
these questions and reassure the newcomer
that others have experienced the same
reluctance and fear in taking the first step
toward recovery.

Summary

As members of SA, we are very practical

about why we work this program of
recovery—because it works! We look
forward to being a resource to health and
helping professionals.

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What is Sexaholics Anonymous?

Sexaholics Anonymous is a fellowship of

men and women who share their experience,
strength, and hope with each other that they may
solve their common problem and help others to
recover.

• The only requirement for membership is a

desire to stop lusting and become sexually
sober. There are no dues or fees for SA mem-
bership; we are self-supporting through our
own contributions.
• SA is not allied with any sect, denomintion,
politics, organization, or institution; does not
wish to engage in any controversy; neither
endorses nor opposes any causes.
• Our primary purpose is to stay sexually sober
and help others to achieve sexual sobriety.

Sexaholics Anonymous is a recovery pro-

gram based on the principles of Alcoholics
Anonymous and received permission from AA
to use its Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in
1979.
(Adapted with permission from the AA Grapevine, Inc.)

Additional copies of this pamphlet and a

complete literature list can be ordered from:

SAICO
P.O. Box 3565
Brentwood, TN 37024-3565
Phone: 615-370-6062
Toll free (USA): 866-424-8777
E-mail: saico@sa.org
Website: http://www.sa.org

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The Twelve Steps of Sexaholics Anonymous
1. We admitted that we were powerless over lust—
that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives
over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory
of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another
human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all
these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and
became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever
possible, except when to do so would injure
them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when
we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to
improve our conscious contact with God as we
understood Him, praying only for knowledge of
His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of
these Steps, we tried to carry this message to
sexaholics, and to practice these principles in all
our affairs.

The Twelve Steps and Traditions are adapted with per-

mission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
(“AAWS”). Permission to adapt and reprint the Twelve
Steps and Twelve Traditions does not mean that AAWS
has approved the contents, of this publication, nor that
AAWS agrees with the views expressed herein. AA is a
program of recovery from alcoholism only. Use of the
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in connection with
programs which are patterned after AA, but which ad-
dress other problems, or in any other non-AA context,
does not imply otherwise.
The Twelve Traditions of Sexaholics
Anonymous

1. Our common welfare should come first;

personal recovery depends on SA unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one
ultimate authority—a loving God as He may
express Himself in our group conscience. Our
leaders are but trusted servants; they do not
govern.
3. The only requirement for membership is a desir
to stop lusting and become sexually sober.
4. Each group should be autonomous except in
matters affecting other groups or Sexaholics
Anonymous as a whole.
5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to
carry its message to the sexaholic who still
suffers.
6. An SA group ought never endorse, finance, or
lend the SA name to any related facility or out-
side enterprise, lest problems of money, property,
and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.
7. Every SA group ought to be fully self-
supporting, declining outside contributions.
8. Sexaholics Anonymous should remain forever
non-professional, but our service centers may
employ special workers.
9. SA, as such, ought never be organized; but we
may create service boards or committees directly
responsible to those they serve.
10. Sexaholics Anonymous has no opinion on out-
side issues; hence the SA name ought never be
drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction
rather than promotion; we need always maintain
personal anonymity at the level of press, radio,
films, and TV.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our
traditions, ever reminding us to place principles
before personalities.
 I am responsible.
When anyone, anywhere
reaches out for help,
I want the hand of SA
always to be there.
And for that: I am responsible.

Copyright © 2008 by Sexaholics Anonymous. All rights reserved