Step 2 Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
"Step two offers hope that sanity is possible, and at the same time it implies that, in our addiction, we were insane.
Our insanity manifested in many ways.
We often put our addiction first and everything else second.
We may have placed ourselves in dangerous situations or taken terrible risks.
And the more we denied our addiction and its consequences, the less we were in touch with reality." Sex Addicts Anonymous pg 26
What events show that I was insane in my addiction?
One of the keys to understanding this step is discovering the depth of the insanity.
It can help to look at the addiction cycle.
| Crazy thinking (H.A.L.T.) | ||
| Denial & Secrecy | Fantasy | |
| Remorse | Obsession/Cruising | |
| Acting Out |
Many of us assume that the insanity is during the obsession, crusing, and acting out. Yet, there is equal insanity in the remorse, denial, and crazy thinking stages. Every time we are triggered into the addiction, we were spending time in crazy thinking prior to the trigger. Often, the craziest thinking is the thought, "I can handle this by myself."
"Key to Step Two is not just believing in a Higher Power, but believing that this Power can and will restore us to sanity. Many of us thought that recovery might work for others but not for us. We thought that our problems were different, that our situation was unique." Sex Addicts Anonymous pg 28
"By committing to recovery, we give ourselves time to let the program work in our lives,
with our understanding growing gradually along with it." Sex Addicts Anonymous pg 28
Am I willing to give the program time to start working in my life?
What would I need to commit to in order to allow the program that time?
Have I been able to ask for a sponsor and start using that person?
What I have learned from that experience?
"We develop a willingness to try some of the group's suggestions,
even those outside of our comfort zone,
when we observe the practical effects of those ideas in action." Sex Addicts Anonymous pg 27
Often a sponsor will say to call before acting out or just after.
What has been my experience of reaching out when struggling with my addiction?
Often, in order for our recovery to be effective, we need to address the insanity that we were living in
prior to the obsession and acting out. What in my life would need to be addressed?
One technique for identifying the instanity is to go back to the last time you acted out and look at all the events that preceded that activity. Time after time, we tell ourselves lies that enable us to take the next step towards acting out. Looking at each step, write down the lie that you told yourself. Examples are: "I have to work over time.", "I deserve a break because I worked overtime.", "It doesn't matter because I don't care about this relationship lasting."
"And in time we discover that our faith grows not so much from a set of abstract beliefs,
but from daily practical experiences of recovery and healing, as observed in others and in ourselves."
Sex Addicts Anonymous pg 27
What evidence am I seeing that being part of this program is helping my sanity?