August 23

“If we engage in middle-circle behavior, we have not lost our sobriety, but it’s a signal that we need to reach out to others and use the tools we have learned in SAA to get us back on track.”

Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 18

We often say of the program that, “It works if you work it.” That idea might be extended to the thought that “it works as hard as you work it.” The more honest and humble effort we expend on surrendering control and working the program, the more good results we are likely to see. We can gauge both our effort and the quality of our recovery by looking honestly at its results in our lives.

As part of our Tenth Step practice, we may reflect on today’s behavior and honestly consider which of our actions were in our inner, middle, and outer circles. If we’ve been in our inner circle, we have slipped or relapsed, and we honestly admit it. For outer circle behaviors, let us be grateful to our Higher Power that we did the next right thing.

And we can be mindful of our middle circle most of all. For there we see the clear and helpful warning signs that something is amiss. We needn’t feel shame or despair, or lose hope. Rather, let us recognize and accept our character defects as they are, and humbly ask God to remove them. Through the freedom of rigorous honesty, we can be grateful to our Higher Power for these middle circle signals that warn us of the path toward danger, and that have helped us to right our steps on the road to recovery.

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May I consider my actions with rigorous honesty, acknowledge my middle circle behaviors, and take skillful action to keep my program of recovery on track.