Sexaholics Anonymous (SA) is one of several twelve-step programs for hypersexuality based on the original Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. SA takes its place among various 12-step groups that seek recovery from sexual addiction: Sex Addicts Anonymous, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Sexual Compulsives Anonymous and Sexual Recovery Anonymous. Collectively these groups are referred to as "S" groups since all their acronyms begin with that letter: SA, SAA, SLAA, SCA, SRA.
SA helps recovering "sexaholics." According to the group, a sexaholic is someone for whom "lust has become an addiction." Thus SA distinguishes itself from other S groups by defining sexual sobriety as no sex with self or with partners other than with one's partner in a marriage between a man and a woman.
"In defining sobriety, we do not speak for those outside Sexaholics Anonymous. We can only speak for ourselves. Thus, for the married sexaholic, sexual sobriety means having no form of sex with self or with persons other than the spouse. For the unmarried sexaholic, sexual sobriety means freedom from sex of any kind. And for all of us, single and married alike, sexual sobriety also includes progressive victory over lust. In SA’s sobriety definition, the term “spouse” refers to one’s partner in a marriage between a man and a woman."[1]
The group uses the book "Sexaholics Anonymous" (often referred to as "The White Book") as a guide. The book explains that "the sexaholic has taken himself or herself out of the whole context of what is right or wrong. He or she has lost control, no longer has the power of choice, and is not free to stop."
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Sexaholics Anonymous sprang from the Alcoholics Anonymous Program, and was founded by Roy Kuljian (known as Roy K.) SA received permission from AA to use its Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in 1979.[2]
On July 9, 1999 in Cleveland the SA leadership unanimously voted (9-0) to clarify the definition of "spouse" to be "one's partner in a marriage between a man and a woman."[3] This is known as the Cleveland Clarification. However, homosexual sexaholics aren't excluded from participation in SA and some homosexual SA groups have been formed under the traditional AA name of "Live and Let Live."
Roy Kuljian, the founder of SA, died from cancer on the afternoon of September 15, 2009.[4][5] He had been sexually sober since January 31, 1976.[6]
SA fully accepts and unabashedly encourages all AA General Conference-approved literature for use in SA meetings. Some SA groups will refer to AA literature more often than to their own SA texts. SA seeks to be somewhat of a replica of AA, applying all of AA's principles to lust and sexual addiction. In this sense, SA differentiates itself from other S-groups in having a more AA-style type of sobriety and view of relapses and thus the strictest kind of sobriety definition.[7]
The official list of fellowship-approved literature is available here.
Because SA's sobriety definition has clear roots in Western and Eastern morality, the movement has a great appeal to Christians, that is, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics,[8] religious Jews, as well as Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and other mainstream religions. The New Testament gospels record Jesus Christ as teaching that lust is a sin "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.",[9] and numerous verses in the Bible clearly forbid extramarital, adulterous and promiscuous sex. The Noble Eightfold Path taught by Buddha, prohibits sexual misconduct.[10]
A psychologist involved in sexual addiction treatment, Patrick Carnes, encourages self-defined sobriety in his writings, saying that a no-masturbation definition of sobriety is only appropriate for some sex addicts and that bottom lines can in fact be modified over time.[11] Joe Kort criticizes SA for its pro-heterosexual marriage stance.[12]
The book Lust Virus, by Ron J. (aka Roy K.), though not SA literature, unwittingly provides a perceptive rationale for SA's concept of sobriety and emphasis on lust recovery by showing how today’s orientation quandary is tied in with the "new lust" and evolving cultural forces shaping all our sexualities.
In their adherence to the 12 Traditions adapted from AA, other S groups do not offer an opinion on SA, or indeed on "any outside enterprise." Other S Groups also tend to base their own programs squarely on AA's disease-concept; for example, they forego use of the term "lust" in describing sex addiction just as AA forgoes use of the terms "intemperance" and "gluttony" to describe alcoholism. SAA and SCA use slight modifications[13][14] of the widely accepted term "compulsive sexual behavior" in use by the medical and psychology establishments.[15]
Modern sexologists[16] sometimes encourage the use of pornography and masturbation in order to explore and express one's own sexuality.