Thursday, August 6th
My compulsion overwhelmed me. I had no safe place and nowhere to turn.
Many of us found that our sexual compulsion expanded as our world narrowed. We may have stopped caring about family, friends, work, or education. We might have self-isolated to the point where we increasingly relied on fantasy, obsession, or harmful sexual behaviors to escape our sense of hopelessness.
We could have easily lost sight of our true selves and felt a growing void within. We often tried to fill that void with the ritual of sex, numbing us from life’s realities.
“The desire to avoid my emptiness became a familiar state of mind, and it drove me to act out.”
In recovery, we learn that we can’t get sober in a vacuum. Merely stopping our destructive behavior is just the beginning: we replace it with healthy new activities. By accepting and gradually placing trust in our Higher Power, we gain the courage to identify our character defects and work to remove them. We can begin to restore a healthy relationship with ourselves and then with others.
We may witness a transformation in ourselves and others just by showing up at meetings. Such changes show that our Higher Power can help reshape our lives and enable us to take the next right action. As our lives expand, our void shrinks.
Recovery has helped me regain my life.