Friday, June 26th
Isolation pushes recovery away.
As sexual compulsives, many of us acted out to escape feelings of shame and self-loathing. We may have sought attention in sexual situations or, conversely, might have retreated into fantasy and isolation. We may have assumed that connecting with another person would somehow make us feel whole and completely end our isolation and self-doubt. If this strategy didn’t work, we might have reverted to having mindless sex, hoping to relieve our emptiness and boredom. For many of us, searching for sex or retreating into isolation became a way of life.
“In my nightly sexual encounters, I was a shadow. I didn’t want to relate to anyone except through sex.”
Shattering the wall of isolation takes time and effort. Our experience has been that we cannot recover in isolation. The support we receive from others gives us strength and courage.
As we attend meetings, the experiences of others may help us become more comfortable with our sexuality and find ways to express it appropriately. Sharing our concerns with other members can help break destructive patterns of isolation and self-pity. We learn how to trust our Higher Power to help us build new lives based on reality rather than fantasies while working the Steps and using the Tools to establish and maintain sexual sobriety.
A Power greater than ourselves takes us out of isolation and into hope.