This one explains in layman's terms what alcoholism is as well as giving a practical program of recovery based on Jungian Psychology. Even though it was written in 1939 it is still in print and has sold over 20 million copies. It also has chapters specifically for friends and family of alcoholics which you may find particularly useful.

The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous https://www.amazon.com/dp/1893007162/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_n97PDbJYN06RW

If you're not sure you can stop, I'll ask you this: are you powerless over alcohol? Once you start, can you stop and stay stopped? Has your life become unmanageable inside your mind and emotions? Has it become unmanageable because alcohol interferes with your home life, work life, and social interactions? If you are powerless and your life has become unmanageable and you can admit these things, that is the first step toward the solution toward recovery. Get a copy of the Big Book and take a look at whether AA might be the place for you. There are excellent recovery centers worldwide and AA meetings all over the world. Let me know if I can help. I'm here to support you.

If you are new to Sex Addicts Anonymous or to /r/sexAA, if you think you might be suffering from a sexually based addiction, or if you just want to know more about our group... then we suggest reading this post and we hope that you will find something useful here.

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We, of SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other sex addicts precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the sex addict. Many do not comprehend that the sex addict is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all.

Paraphrased from Alcoholics Anonymous, Foreword to First Edition, xiii

Read: Why the Big Book of A.A.?


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1. No sex addict, man or woman, can be excluded from our Society; our leaders might serve but never govern; each group is to be autonomous and there is to be no professional class of therapy. There are to be no fees or dues; our expenses are to be met by our own voluntary contributions. There is to be the least possible organization, even in our service centers. Our public relations are to be based upon attraction rather than promotion. All members ought to be anonymous at the level of press, radio, TV and films. And in no circumstances should we give endorsements, make alliances, or enter public controversies.
   
   
2. /r/sexAA is not a place to meet sexual acting out partners and it is not group therapy. We try not to use offensive language, or descriptions that are too explicit. We avoid explicit sexual language, names, places, and websites we associated with our acting-out behavior. Because of the nature of our addiction, we take great care when sharing and we strive NOT to share any inappropriate content. Our focus remains on the SOLUTION rather than the problem. If you have any questions please message the mods.
   
   
3. As SAA members the most important symbol of our willingness is a Desire Chip. A Desire Chip signifies our desire to stop our addictive sexual behaviors for good and for all. Is there anyone here who would like to begin their journey to sobriety today? Click here to claim a Desire Chip.
   
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   Tips For Getting Started
   

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4. To better understand sex addiction and to help you qualify yourself, we highly recommend you read What Is Sex Addiction And How Can I Tell If I Have It?
   
   
5. Call into the Saturday SAA Foundation Telemeeting. This is held every Saturday from 10:00 am - 11:15 am EST. 605-562-3140 access code 215701#. This meeting will give you a great introduction to our program and will introduce you to the tried-and-true 12 Step method of recovery.
   
   
6. Read Alcoholics Anonymous: The Big Book --- [(Free Online Version)]
   (http://www.aa.org/pages/en_US/alcoholics-anonymous) It contains the original 12 Step program upon which our entire fellowship is based. We have found that is it simple to replace "selfish sex" when we come across the word "alcohol." Or "sex addict" for "alcoholic." There are a few places in the book where we cannot translate the directions word-for-word so that it applies to our sex addiction. Even so, we believe there exists an important reason for working our SAA program as directed by suggestions in the Big Book.
   
   "Of alcoholics, who came to AA, and really tried, 50% got sober at once and remained that way; 25% sobered up after some relapses, and among the remainder, those who stayed on with AA showed improvement."
   
   This indicates a success rate at around 75% during the first 20 years of AA's existence when the Big Book was the only 12 Step book. Read more on Why the Big Book of AA?
   
   
7. We highly recommend you find a qualified "sponsor" and begin working the 12 Steps as soon as possible. Working all 12 Steps with a qualified sponsor is the basis of our program and our society and it is where we believe the path to permanent recovery exists.
   
   
8. All of our meetings are 100% free of charge. If the meeting is attended by recovered sex addicts who have worked the 12 Steps this can be a great place to find a sponsor.
   telemeetings
   in-person meetings
   
   
9. Define your bottom line behaviors and share them with your sponsor. For help on Defining Abstinence.
   
   
10. Many members have found it helpful to add a devotional book to their daily spiritual routine:
    Answers in the Heart
    Touchstones: A Book Of Daily Meditations For Men
    Twenty Four Hours a Day
    
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    ...for the SAA newcomer who identifies as atheist or agnostic.
    

    
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    ...Despite the living example of my friend there remained in me the vestiges of my old prejudice. The word God still aroused a certain antipathy. When the thought was expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I didn’t like the idea. I could go for such conceptions as Creative Intelligence, Universal Mind or Spirit of Nature but I resisted the thought of a Czar of the Heavens, however loving His sway might be. I have since talked with scores of men who felt the same way. My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, “Why don’t you choose your own conception of God?’’
    
    Do not let any prejudice you may have against spiritual terms deter you from honestly asking yourself what they might mean to you. At the start, this was all we needed to commence spiritual growth, to effect our first conscious relation with God as we understood Him [or Her]. Afterward, we found ourselves accepting many things which had seemed entirely out of reach. That was growth. But if we wished to grow we had to begin somewhere. So at first we used our own conceptions of God, however limited they were.
    
    
    Alcoholics Anonymous, p12, 47
    
    continue reading...
    
    To our atheist and agnostic brothers and sisters, please do not let the spiritual nature of the program deter you from giving it an honest chance. Almost half of the original one hundred members who wrote Alcoholics Anonymous identified as atheist or agnostic. Many of us who have entered the program were not spiritual people and yet we have found a lasting sense of peace and serenity through working the 12 Steps. We are happy, joyous, and free. We are recovered.
    
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    Sex addiction is not a hopeless or unrecoverable condition. Many sex addicts achieve life-long recovery with the help of this program. SAA is grounded in the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous. It is through the application of these fundamental tools that we, sex addicts, recover from this seemingly hopeless state of mind and body.