ESSAY Magazine (An International Journal of Sexaholics Anonymous)

She learned how the Traditions keep the group healthy and unified. 
When I started my recovery journey, my original home group met seven days a week, and we studied a Tradition every Wednesday. As my sponsor recommended that I go to the meeting every day, regardless of the topic, I was always there.
Some of the long-time members would speak about their experience, strength, and hope with whatever Tradition we were studying. I always enjoyed what they had to say. There is a lot to learn from the traditions, and sponsors who pass along their knowledge are priceless.

This series covers how vital each concept is for our world services to function.  
The “Twelve Concepts for World Service” were written by Bill W. in 1962. Sexaholics Anonymous has adopted these concepts as guides for our service structure. The Twelve Concepts of Sexaholics Anonymous are presented here. The essays that follow are intended to expound upon these simple statements, based on the experiences of several members with international service experience.
Concept One: Final responsibility and ultimate authority for SA service should always reside in the collective conscience of our whole Fellowship (Step Into Action 213).

Through his program, God gave him the promises he never thought possible. 
“Working my program” and staying committed to the SA fellowship fosters a stronger, more focused inner life for me. By working my SA program, I am developing the humility and maturity necessary to trudge the “Road of Happy Destiny” each day.
As I experience each day of sobriety, I find the changes in my life very satisfying. I am experiencing emotions, focus and personal connections I never would have thought possible before SA. Chapter Six of Alcoholics Anonymous, titled “Into Action”, details the positive outcomes of program commitment in “The Twelve Promises”. The Promises provide hope for a healthy, joyful recovery—achieved through persistence and the maintenance of both inner and outer sobriety.

The following is an excerpt that was recently added to our SA Service Manual.
“The three legacies of Sexaholics Anonymous are Recovery, Unity, and Service. These legacies are the basic foundation of our fellowship. The Twelve Steps of SA are our suggested path to Recovery. The Twelve Traditions of SA are the suggested path to Unity within the fellowship. The Twelve Concepts of SA are the suggested path to Service within the fellowship. These legacies are based on the AA legacies…” (SA Service Manual, Chapter 1, p. 1) 

These concepts keep committees on task while protecting them from personalities. 
Concept 10: Every service responsibility should be matched by an equal service authority, with scope of such authority well defined. (Step Into Action 214)
A committee’s responsibility is stated in its mission statement. It’s easy to forget our purpose and carry on the way business is done in the corporate world. 

(Instrumental Break)
Hope, live in hope, Surrender, ask for help, let it go
Hope, live in hope, Surrender, ask for help, let it go
 
I’ll make a call, I’ll say a prayer. I’ll ask for help and leave lust there.
Hope, live in hope, Surrender, ask for help, let it go
 
Serve the meeting, be the Chair. Serve the coffee, make a share.
Hope, live in hope, Surrender, ask for help, let it go
 
Read the books. Read ESSAY. Follow the path. Lead the way.
Hope, live in hope, Surrender, ask for help, let it go

Being rid of anger through the Steps allowed him to experience peace and hope.
Although I was sober, serenity seemed to elude me in my SA recovery. It wasn’t until I wrote my Step Four inventory that I discovered why: I was still an angry person. I had surrendered my
desire to lust, but I was still waging a war of anger against my spouse, my coworkers, my friends, and anyone who didn’t see things my way. I had switched drugs (from sex to anger) and was a dry drunk.

A need to step forward and serve with integrity led to the creation of a spiritual bridge between the Arabic-speaking community and ESSAY. 
In the middle of 2022, our journey began not with a grand plan, but with a quiet realization between two fellows. We saw a gap that felt like a canyon: the life-giving words of the ESSAY magazine were largely locked away in English, leaving many of our Arabic-speaking brothers and sisters struggling to find the same depth of recovery we had discovered. We knew that if we were to truly live out our legacy of service, we had to find a way to bridge that gap. We had to translate the “language of the heart” into our own tongue.