A. General reflections. 3 min., 47 sec. Real Audio.

B. Deeper reflections. 4 min., 44 sec. Real audio.

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General discussion: What are your questions, comments, reflections? What resources do you recommend?

Personal reflection:
- How do you experience temptation in your life?
- What helps you to resist and overcome temptations?
- How do you feel when you resist a temptation to do wrong?

Personal reflection:
- How do you experience temptation in your life? Because of my addiction temptation for me begins in my head and then rolls like a frieght Train hurdling toward a cliff. At this point my thinking becomes obessive. I want whatever it is and will stop at anything to get the high from it.

- What helps you to resist and overcome.
At this point the only way I have been able to stop the train is working the steps going to meetings and making phone calls. For me this opens my heart to connect with God and others in SA and the Parish I attend. Also no matter the pain and fear that I have honesty with my wife is essential. She is a big part of my recovery. This is the only way I have found to maintain sobriety that leads to prayer and recovery.

temptations?
- How do you feel when you resist a temptation to do wrong?
I am reminded that God is the one that gave me the courage to resist my desires and selfishness and without him I would cave like a deck of cards.

I read my post my old post and realized just in a couple of months God's work in my life. How do I experience temptation now I would have to say as a challenge or way of self discovery. Usually when I am being tempted it is because of my desire to disconnect from God and what is good in my life. The Gift now in my journey in recovery is the ability to stand back and ask the question why do I want to do this or desire it.

That's the whole ball of wax, brjaan, and as an oldtimer in a twelve step program it will always be the same, the power to choose the power to choose
rather than to choose non-choosing. I don't know why
I am so choosey about the words I'm choosing.

Did you here the one about the fellow who went to the monastery to ask them the secret? "We fall down, we get up, we fall down, we get up. "


caritas,

mm <*)))))><

If I could interject your discussion doesn't define the temptations it generalizes about.So many words are spoken of camoflaugingly that one first must eliminate the double talking riff raff from the conversation.Then if one truly introsepects the issue? of temptation it can be a moot potential if one identifies what makes it an obsolete notion.Inspired pursuits.Anything that resolutely inspires eliminates your referred to temptation.If one is speaking of the commissive potential of a consummated sexual activity and its connection with predescribed standards of anything resembling monogamy there is one obvious cure and that is having the courage to love beyond deflected superficiality.For some easier said than done because sincerity emotionally without doubt brings the aspect of occasional vulnerability yet I have a lived witness theory that affirms resolution.If you endure with sincere emotion and even whether your mate succumbs to fickleness or not you will be delivered to a place of serenity and security.It's an arduous path that can be turbulent and even require incredulous instances of grasping the proverbial beasts of life by the horns and thrusting them away.Yet once you breakthrough that experience your emnacipated for ever from being emotionally abused ever again from that specific emotional source.It seems professed that emotional integrity is no fun yet my experience suggests that those who prioritize crowd mentality actually are the plastic image that becomes afriad of mutual deep intimacy or an insincere perpetuator of its continuity.The hotties club is actually individuals that go so far and then abruptly halt fearing getting hurt and create collective mentalities who quasi voyeurize because they denied their own sense of emotional distress years before.How many relationships are balanced give and take and if not develop some type of codependency or misproportioned abuse leveling.These mentalities if not resolved sponsor the ripe potential of corrupt sexual predators who sycophantize anything beyond normal engendered response recognition which is innocent in its origination.Temptation emotionally derives from lack of sincerity and the cultivation of ego desire versus sincere desire.You either choose ego based desire or sincerity which My introspect beyond suggests greater pleasure potential though potentially volatile if your mate ever becomes corrupted.Simply said some folks become love wimps.Then temptation becomes an industry with perks and the antithesis that says monogamy cops are required which spawns the potentially pseudo judicious sadists of modernism.Maturity presumed is a cure for temptation because understanding compulsion and its manifestations of good and evil are clear attributes of any sincere adult.Temptation is an additional concern for those who squander currupt acts aimed at the innocent.Its derivitive obviously ego indulgence which stems from inner insecurity which overcompensates for its threatend self via compulsed acts of corruption.My suggested cure dealing honestly with oneself as early as possible and pursuing things that you feel deeply concerned about which provides an amazing armor of depth of understanding though can attract the abysmally antithetic occasionally.Summarizing those who yet have problems with various types of temptations create an agenda that involves only inspired pursuits which will force any corrupt codependent aquaintances be they family or friends to mutualize or be forever exposed.That would involve their own senses of self respect which might surprise you who actually cultivates and achieves that blessed quality.The majority of any corrupt act against another or God forbid the self no doubt stems from undealt self loathing.Inspired pursuits will eliminate that potential.Along with that the realization that pleasure cannot be attained deeply with childish notions of guilt manipulated false repression can create a path beyond false archaic notions of naughty and nice.My cautionary never mutualize with anyone who is rediscent concerning delving sincerely with a collective emotional state.They've either goofed or had unnoticed repressed self doubts concerning the blessing of human sexuality which translates hang ups.You might say nobody's perfect yet love won't hurt them and any thing resembling fundamental communication ultimitely conquers.Take care and God bless.Straight Forword.Absolutely no twisted parallels.Innocent obliviance doesn't hurt either.

That's a nice place to get to, but how to get there from here is problematic. Even Thomas Merton, who may have fathered a child out of wedlock before entering the monastery, and created a scandal by falling for a nurse half his age while hospitalized
had unexpressed inadaquacy and neurosis around the issue. What did he gain by running away from the women and the booze and the secular life?

Just saw a film about J. Edgar Hoover and it was obvious to me that he was a sexual anorectic. I can spot it because I are one. Many of my freinds
throughout my life have the same problem, and fear of intimacy becomes the driving force in life.

The difference between a sex addict and a sexual anorectic is that for a sex addict, mood altering through acting out is the most important need. For the sexual anorectic, sex is the most fearful need. The cycle is the same, but rather than acting out, the anorectic acts in by not acting. Sometimes there is a binge-and-purge, similar to a bulimic, which has been called Mardi Gras syndrome
in which the anorectic finally acts, then uses various means of repression to force it all back inside. Many religious people are sexually anorectic, but our understanding of it is as primitive as most other areas of human sexuality.

http://www.sexhelp.com/what_is_sex_anorexia.cfm

Your input is very much appreciated, Gary.

caritas,

mm <*)))))><