July 31

“We start by admitting that we are completely powerless to stop our addictive sexual behaviors on our own. We admit that our lives are out of our control.”

Sex Addicts Anonymous, page 23

For many of us who have experienced abuse, we are familiar with being powerless. Often this came from people we saw as authority figures or from those we were convinced we should trust. Powerlessness can be overwhelming and destructive. Some of us chose a reaction that went, “I will never be powerless again.” We became bullies, or we repeated the patterns of abuse, believing that this was the best we could hope for.

In recovery, admitting powerlessness is a way of truthfully stating that, as a consequence of trying to control life by myself, my life is unmanageable. One of the paradoxes of recovery is that, by relinquishing control, I began to take responsibility for my life. In developing a relationship with my Higher Power and working with a sponsor, I learn to practice trusting with those who deserve my trust. This opens a door for something I would never have thought possible—safe, loving relationships. And now, I am even becoming a person that others can trust!

Learning to take responsibility for my life is a long process, and there are many things I must act on, but none of it is possible without first admitting to my innermost self that I cannot control this disease, or my life, on my own.

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By admitting my powerlessness, I begin to take responsibility for this precious gift—my life.