Using AA's The Big Book and Twelve Steps program to deal with recovery from porn addiction

The 12 Steps were created by the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous to establish guidelines for the best way to overcome an addiction to alcohol. The program gained enough success in its early years for other addiction support groups to adapt the steps to their own needs.

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TBH CA, NA, DAA, MA, GA SA all use the steps in some shape or form, it’s a program for life bc our addiction is not the problem it’s the solution, we are the problem and the 12 steps are a better solution.

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Thanks, but I already ordered this book:

It should be enough for me to understand the steps :innocent:
Thanks again for the guide though :pray:

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That’s a good book to help work through the steps but in my opinion you should have a sponsor help you. That gives you someone to be accountable to, to keep you on track and honest.

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I suppose it could go easier with sponsor, but I don’t know anyone who could be my sponsor, so I have to do it alone, unless You know someone, who could be my sponsor.

Actually may not be easier with a sponsor, probably will be harder to be honest but a sponsor can make sure you aren’t taking any shortcuts and are being thorough.

To find a sponsor you need to ask someone you have a connection with and trust. It’s easier when meeting in person but can be done virtually now days.

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this is what happens when you dont use a sponsor

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Hey Chris.

Im an alcoholic, but besides that i had a drug and porn problem amongst numerous other things like mental health issues and all that. Watching porn , you know , started as a kid thing man, as time and my ilness progressed , it grew worse. Man at times it was like the only thing that could make me calm down, especially coming down from booze and drugs. Eventually i found hating myself for watching porn. I didn’t want to watch porn anymore dude. I despised myself for doing it but i couldn’t help myself.

Luckily someone suggested to try AA and i went in cause my drinking problem but trough the 12 Step Program with a sponsor i got so much more dude beside relief from the obsession to drink. God did what i could not do for myself even when i really wanted to. I do not watch porn anymore ( not that i have something against porn but for me personally it doesn’t work out in a way) . Seen it at ocassion unintentionally and can say that i didn’t have a desire to watch it. Really grateful for that. Ive found what works out wonderfully for me. Today im feeling really good and im having pretty cool fun with it all.

I know people who are SLAA members and they say it helped them a lot.

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Love this, though this might be slightly misleading, since You can also do the work with steps without the sponsor. Not that I would prefer to do it without sponsor :innocent:

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Thank You for Your background story.
This is wonderful, that You got to this awesome place, while starting from very harsh one.
I applaud You for Your dedication and hard work :pray::pray::pray::muscle:
This also proves to me, that 12 steps program is definitely something to really get into.
Once again, thanks for sharing :pray:
I wish You all the best in Your further recovery and generally in life :hugs:

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Yea i agree you can do the steps without a sponsor ,when i got sober no internet or mobiles as such so sponsor was my only choice , but with tech and all the books and blogs of today it would be possible , but over my decades sober never met along time sober person who have did this

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When I tried working 12 step by myself, I couldn’t get more than a few days or weeks of sobriety. If I make it to February sober it’ll be 8 years, the longest ever for me, and a big reason why is my sponsor. It helps me to be accountable to someone, to be in a safe place with someone who understands me better than I understand myself, and to copy good habits. I tried reinventing the wheel, and I kept making square blocks.

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Congratulations on Your journey :pray::muscle::dancer::ok_hand::fist:
That must’ve been one hell of a ride…
So what You really needed was the accountability and not much on introspection itself, or the key was both these things connected.

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That’s the thing; I was putting too many limitations on myself thinking too much in black and white. I needed all of it, some of it, and none of it at the same time. Sacrificing a little control in exchange for sobriety gained me more control over my life than I’ve ever had in my life

Sobriety is all about living within the paradoxes, regardless of the recovery program.

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Living within paradoxes…
Do You care to describe what is hidden under that sentence?

I got sober when all of those things existed and I still need a sponsor for my step work. If I did the steps alone I’d be relying on my own self-will. The same self-will that kept me drunk and high for 22 years. Luckily where I live there’s a strong AA community with hundreds, if not thousands of available sponsors.

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Keeping an open mind while sticking rigidly to core principles helps keep me sober.

When I serve others and put myself first, I work my recovery better.

When I make amends for the past and plan for the future, I do better at staying in the present.

When I know my limitations yet know that anything is possible, I achieve more quickly and abundantly.

Yet sobriety itself is black and white. I either am or I’m not. There is no almost sober… All it takes is the tiniest amount, one time. It’s amazing how such a narrow definition of sobriety brought me so much freedom.

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One gotcha is when we get to the part of getting honest with ourselves, our HP, and another human being. If you have a sponsor, this part’s straightforward.

But it mentions your sponsor is just one possibility. There are others who can stand in. The book also suggests instead a spiritual advisor if you have one of those, for example.

Still, surely there’s a PMO program using the 12 steps somewhere. :thinking: Dunno! Little outta my lane.

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This is just the tip of the iceberg:

Yes, I already contacted with SA online.
Seems like a great place to learn on sober living :pray:

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