The Twelve Steps summarize a methodology used to recover from sex addiction. They are a specific course of action designed to bring us into a relationship with the God (Higher Power) of the individual member’s understanding. Your sponsor will show you what to do. If you don’t have a sponsor we suggest you get one as soon as possible.
It may seem incredible that these men and women are to become happy, respected, and useful once more. How can they rise out of such misery, bad repute and hopelessness?
The practical answer is that since these things have happened among us, they can happen with you. Should you wish them above all else, and be willing to make use of our experience, we are sure they will come.
The age of miracles is still with us. Our own recovery proves that!
– Alcoholics Anonymous page 153
Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a program of recovery:
- We admitted we were powerless over addictive sexual behavior – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
- Made a fearless and searching moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, ourselves and another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people, wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong we promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to other sex addicts and to practice these principles in all our lives.
This miracle could be described by the promises of Step Nine. Often referred to as the promises.