The following is an excerpt from Personal Spirituality in Sex Addicts Anonymous, an official SAA brochure. You can read it in its entirety by clicking the link above.
Personal Spirituality In SAA
Sex Addicts Anonymous (SAA) offers a systematic, proven solution to our addictive sexual behavior based on applying certain principles to our lives. There is room in the SAA program for many kinds of spiritual beliefs and practices, ranging from the devoutly religious to staunch atheism. “The program offers a spiritual solution to our addiction, without requir¬ing adherence to any specific set of beliefs or practices. The path is wide enough for everyone who wishes to walk it” (Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 21) Here are some principles for building a spiritual life in SAA by applying the Twelve Steps and recovering from sex ad- diction – with or without a deity.
Is a belief in “God” necessary for recovery?
No. Although the Twelve Steps use the word “God,” they do not require us to adopt the traditional meaning. Our program invites each of us to define a “Higher Power” or “God” of our own understanding at our own pace. “We discovered we could progress through each of the Twelve Steps of the program without adhering to a specific set of beliefs” (“What if I Don’t Believe in ‘God’?”). All we needed to begin our journey to recovery was the willingness to search for what a higher power might eventually mean for each of us.
The meaning of “spiritual” in SAA
Within the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of SAA are a number of principles. Although these principles are not based on any religion, we call them “spiritual” because as we live them, we are able to transcend our past and transform our lives. These principles describe unmeasurable, intangible human qualities that do not fit in the usual categories of physical, intellectual, or emotional – such as honesty, patience, trust, humility, and gratitude. As we applied these principles, we built a new spirituality or enhanced the spirituality we found within our religious traditions. Both the religious and non-religious among us were able to use these principles in our daily lives, which brought us more serenity and happiness. Thus, the word “spiritual” in SAA can mean different things to different individuals, which is one of the strengths of the program.
A spiritual solution to the problem of sex addiction
Prior to recovery, we were lost in fantasy, disconnected from reality and from ourselves, and stuck in a pattern that was harming both ourselves and others. “Our behavior eluded all rational attempts at explanation or correction. We had to face the fact that we had a disease, and that we could not stop the addictive behavior by ourselves” (Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 9).
In SAA meetings, we found a safe place to talk honestly about our feelings and our behavior without being condemned, judged, or humiliated. We shared our pain with trusted people in recovery and found an atmosphere of honesty, acceptance, hope, and support. We soon found ourselves being more honest and accepting in our everyday thoughts and actions. By applying these and other principles of recovery to our lives with the help of a sponsor and other recovering sex addicts, we accessed “a Power greater than ourselves” (Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 15) that helped us stop our addictive sexual behavior. “Over time, the spiritual principles in the steps [have become] integrated into our thoughts, feelings, and behavior. … We are not only working the steps – we are living them” (Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 22). We moved from the shame of sex addiction to the grace of freedom, acceptance, and self-respect through the Twelve Steps. This spiritual solution worked for us