All daily inspirations can be found in the book Sex and Porn Addiction Healing and Recovery. Used here with permission of the author. Click the book cover image to purchase the book on Amazon.
Sobriety requires courage—courage to face the world without the emotional shield of addiction.
As sex and porn addicts, we engage in our addiction not to have a good time but to escape from life and the emotional discomfort it sometimes brings. However, we cannot selectively numb our emotions. When we shield ourselves from pain by escaping into sexual fantasy and behaviors, we also shield ourselves from joy, beauty, and intimate connection. It’s a terrible trade-off. When we get sober, we no longer have this shield at our disposal and we must feel (and deal with) the onslaught of emotions we’ve been avoiding all through our addiction. Many of us find that in early recovery we cry or get angry at the drop of a hat. Happily, this emotional instability fades the longer we’re sober. And if it doesn’t, we can seek external assistance (therapy, medications) that can help.
Task for Today
Choose to experience your feelings. All of them, both good and bad.