Is S-Anon for You? 
If you've been affected by the sexual activity of a family member or friend, you may find help and hope in S-Anon. The S-Anon Checklist may help you determine if this Twelve Step program may benefit you. 

What Is S-Anon?
The S-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of the relatives and friends of sexually addicted people who share their experience, strength and hope in order to solve their common problems. Our program of recovery is adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), as reflected in the S-Anon Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions. There are no dues or fees for S-Anon membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. Our primary purpose is to recover from the effects upon us of another person's sexaholism and to help the families and friends of sexaholics. We highly recommend checking out one of our meetings.

Sponsorship in S-Anon
In S-Anon, a sponsor is simply a person in the program who can help us work the Twelve Steps by sharing how they have worked or are working the Steps in their own lives. No one is required to have a sponsor. It is a suggestion based on the experience of members who find it is helpful to have one person in S-Anon who knows them well. To find a sponsor, we ask someone who has the recovery we want to be our sponsor. If they are unavailable, we simply ask someone else. We let Higher Power guide the timing and the process.  Below are suggestions about where one may look for a sponsor:

  • Home group (e.g., the meeting you attend regularly and at which you feel the most comfortable)
  • Other group meetings
  • Open meetings
  • Marathons
  • Retreats
  • International Conventions
  • Intergroup meetings
  • Step study groups
 
Some have found temporary sponsorship to be helpful. Entering sponsorship on a trial basis and revisiting it after 90 days allows either party to leave the relationship if things are not working out. Changing sponsors allows us to benefit from more than one perspective on working the S-Anon program. Learn more about finding a sponsor and being a sponsor in “Working the S-Anon Program,” pp. 9-11 and 103-104 (second edition); or by ordering the pamphlet “Sponsorship in S-Anon,” available from the World Service Office literature store.​

Reprinted with permission of S-Anon International Family Groups, Inc., Nashville, TN. Compliance with S-Anon International Family Groups, Inc.'s copyrights and trademarks is required.