Monday Oct 13, 2025
ESSAY October 2025 - Eureka! - Adria K., Washington State, USA
ESSAY Magazine (An International Journal of Sexaholics Anonymous)
The mission of ESSAY is to serve as a source of information, experience, strength and hope to sexaholics, both inside and outside the rooms of Sexaholics Anonymous. Our vision is to provide a high-quality “meeting in print” that gathers together members from around the world. It can serve as a portable “extra meeting” especially for loners and for members who don’t have access to many meetings. In addition, Essay serves as an outreach tool to carry the message to those who have not yet found SA. We strive to include a mix of stories and shares from a wide variety of members, including men and women, prisoners, and international members. In addition, ESSAY provides Fellowship announcements and information on subjects such as new meetings, Fellowship events, and our service structure. We hope that all of the articles we publish will offer useful information and provide experience, strength, and hope to all who suffer from the disease of sexaholism. Fellowship actvities such as international conventions, regional events and local events appear in the Calendar section. Each issue has a theme and various sections to share sexaholic stories and practical tools. In addition to letters and group news, ESSAY offers short, edited articles written by members about recovery and our solution. The Practical Recovery Tools section features members sharing on the topic, “Exactly how I did it.” Submissions may also include meditations, poetry, and humor. ESSAY is guided by the principles of the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions and Twelve Concepts. Each issue contains the following statement:
Listen on:
Episodes
Episodes
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
A reflection on 30 years of working the Program reveals a life worth living. Thirty years ago today, August 8th, 1995, I walked into a church, sat down in a room full of strangers, and said: “My name is Bill and I’m…” Thirty years ago today, I started on a journey called Recovery.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Step Nine showed him how to proceed without putting himself down. I am Tim, from Brussels. I discovered I am a sexaholic about two years ago. After a summer of destructive acting out, a painful rock bottom, and therapy, it became clear that I needed help from a 12-Step program. It was a great relief. I have been addicted to lust since my teenage years without knowing it. However, I was fascinated by images of the opposite sex and discovered the power of masturbation, but I also learned I had to hide and lie about it.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Taking a look at himself and sharing what he found let the light of recovery shine on his shame. An unknown SA member said, “If you want light, keep the curtains open. The curtains are made of selfishness.”I was not only driven by a hundred forms of fear, as the Big Book says, but also by a thousand forms of guilt and shame.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
How the semicolon etched into his skin saved him from ending his life. Bang! Bang! Bang! “Police! We have a search warrant!” It happened when I was 52, in the third decade of my marriage and teaching career. I carried with me lies and a lust-filled lens on life. Throughout my life, I had crossed so many lines that I had fried my moral compass, which led to a continuation of my sick habits. However, the moment I heard the banging on my door at 6:00 a.m., and an officer announcing “search warrant,” I knew that my fried moral compass had just exploded in my face. I wasn’t surprised, but I was devastated and relieved.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Fusagasugá witnessed the 13th National Convention of SA Colombia. It was a meeting of souls, where hope blossomed, and unity became real.
There, I discovered that there are no broken people—only valuable human beings fighting against this painful disease. I felt the presence of our Higher Power everywhere. Every day, I fall more in love with SA.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
A license plate reminds him that recovery is one day at a time.
One day in the spring of 2024, I had an appointment with my eye doctor in Oshawa, Ontario (Canada). Parked right outside the office building was this motorcycle. I stood stock still for a moment, looking at the license plate—ODAAT—and the yellow bumper sticker above it—ONE DAY AT A TIME.
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Congratulations to Gary L. for winning the Best Caption Contest with his caption, “Coming out from the shell is hard for me too.” He will receive a free copy of the October edition in the mail. Also, congratulations to Gene T. for winning second place with the caption, “Ma’am, could you please help me on these steps?” First and second place winners will have their captions featured in this edition’s printed and PDF versions.
Also, thank you to the 40-plus members who submitted entries and to the 84 members who voted for their favorite caption! It was a lot of fun!
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Monday Oct 13, 2025
Our next edition’s theme is “Rigorous Honesty.” The first words in chapter five of the Big Book tell us that recovery is not possible without the capacity to be rigorously honest. What a wonderful gift to know that we can choose honesty for today, and if we are powerless over dishonesty, we can ask God to remove our dishonesty and gain honesty by helping others. We can also seek outside help. The Steps teach me the process by which I can learn to become aware of the truth and to share that truth with others.