Sex Addicts Anonymous

in his head that he just wasn't putting out there or sharing with women, just like daily thoughts, things that he wanted to say, things that he wanted to express.

And what really helped him was when he went to, I forget what, if it was like a Sex Addicts Anonymous, I forget what it was, but it was like a men's group that he had joined.

And this is like public knowledge, I'm not sharing information about him, but he had gone into this group for the first time, I think in his forties, where he was able to express himself openly about the things that he was thinking in his head and he was hearing other people do the same thing and he's like whoa all these people think like me and actually what i just said didn't rattle him and shake him and make him not want to be friends with me or talk to me anymore he's like this is completely empowering for me i can say things that in my head were extremely offensive or not correct to be said in a public space, but I can say them and people actually like me more for the thoughts that I have in my head, more for the things that I think or the person that I am on the inside.

So having that kind of space where he was allowed to unleash his true self in a safe environment, taught him about who he could be in the open world and specifically with women.

Have I talked about Ministry of Healing yet? Okay, Ministry of Healing.

I went to Sex Addicts Anonymous for a year.

Didn't I say that on Monday? Didn't I tell you guys on Monday? All right, so I'll be brief.

Anyway, it wasn't until after going to Sex Addicts Anonymous for a year that I got this warm, fuzzy feeling by at least being in a group that I could confess what I was going through.

There's no way I could take it to my pastor or the elders.

But after a year, nobody was getting any victory.

Um, but she was the first woman in my life who didn't get angry, and she didn't get angry 'cause she, she had recognized my addictive patterns.

And she left on my dining table the information for SAA, which as I'm sure you know and many people will, it stands for Sex Addicts Anonymous.

And I was so curious.

I'd never heard the words sex and addiction in the same sentence prior to that fated June morning in two thousand and four.

Anybody that's been in, in a 12 step environment for any length of time, the 12th step is the service step.

What are the 12 steps? The 12 steps of any meeting from AA to, to CA, to Food Anonymous, to Sex Anonymous, whatever the anonymous is, right? I was...

I should have been in all of them.

I was active in AA, and the 12 steps are 12 action steps that a human being can take to get them closer to a power greater than themselves.

I always say if there's a A in it, I've been there probably.

I haven't been to Sex Anonymous yet, and, um, I haven't been to Gamblers, but I see the propensity big time.

Boy, if I'd don't [laughs] cool my jets, I could.

[laughs] You know, been, when, it- Paul always says that's the second-oldest fellowship.

One time we heard a speaker, and he got up, and he talked about, uh, one disease, one fellowship, one fellowship only.

And this guy was very good speaker, and he went all the way through his story, and he had like 25 years, and he started acting out on sex addiction.

Everybody in the fellowship was mad at him for years, you know? And what I, you know, I looked at my friend and said, "If he would've went to Sex Anonymous, he probably wouldn't have pissed off everybody in the fellowship." You know, sometimes we have to go, I, I have to go other places to treat my disease.

I've had to go to therapy, you know.

After release, Henry completed a qualified sex offender treatment program as well as individual and group counseling.

Henry continues to attend weekly Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings.

The court also noted he maintains a steady job and attends church and volunteers.

Does he have any special conditions? Yes, Mr.

So we're really, and the therapist is on top of that.

How does this differ from what, and I'm not familiar, but like in, you know, either, you know, Sex Addicts Anonymous or SLAA, like the nine step amend process.

Like, how does this differ from that? Are you very familiar with it?

Oh yeah.

This guy needs to be doing all of the anonymous programs.

A- Alcoholics Anonymous, Sex Addicts Anonymous.

Like, he, he was suff- he is dealing with every problem a human being could have, and can't s- so if he's not doing tons of work round the clock, and you find out that he's got Delicious cleaning his underwear and making him steak-

[laughs] My God

What's going on, everyone? Welcome to episode 199 of the Sex Addicts Recovery Podcast.

This week, I'll be sharing part two of the August SAA and COSA speaker meeting, and this one will be featuring Mary Joy S., speaking for SAA.

Although this is the first time that I got to meet Mary at a meeting, I have been familiar with her name for a number of years.

At the back of each Outer Circle newsletter, there is a list of the ISO board members, which Mary Joy has been a part of.

And I have also seen her name on workshops and speaker recordings from past SAA conventions and more on that at the end of this episode.

Anyway, it was really great to hear her share at the speaker meeting.

Similar to Carrie's story, which we shared on last week's episode, Mary Joy had some ninth step miracles that she wanted to share, and it was such a great coincidence there.

The next section, the meaning of nurturing.