Threefold Recovery Workshop

The missing physical aspect of sexual recovery

The concept of Threefold Recovery comes directly from Alcoholics Anonymous and Sexaholics Anonymous literature and early AA history.

The image of the cart before the horse represents the approach to threefold recovery that has occurred in many 12-step programs including SA. Threefold recovery, originating in AA, incorporates the physical, emotional and spiritual elements. Unawareness of the significant part medical treatment played in early AA, and in the absence of sufficient medical science, physical healing has largely been limited to sobriety. Incorporating the physical aspect helps creates the horsepower to support sustainable and rewarding sobriety and recovery for more members.

Workshop contents

• • SA official literature on Threefold Recovery
  • Why is sexual recovery so hard? Why such a large burnout and failure rate?
  • SA needs a Doctor’s Opinion in our official literature
  • High level of medical treatment in early AA: the lack of it in SA
  • SA Founder’s Threefold recovery
  • The myth of 50-75% success rate in early AA
  • The truth about early AA is more enlightening than the myths
  • What addiction recovery is starting to look like
  • Member Case Studies

This workshop has been presented to SA groups in Melbourne, Australia, and  Singapore as well as online. It expands on a section of my Doctors Opinion Workshop which explores more general medical factors of addiction. Such workshops have been part of SA International Conferences, and regional conferences for over 25 years. The SA International Board of Trustees approves the International Conference programs. Thus, discussion of these medical issues has been encouraged from the highest levels of the SA service structure. An edited version of my Threefold Recovery story was published in Essay, December 2019 (p 28).

I have no professional training in addiction, medicine or psychology. I learnt most of this material in my own recovery and as a medical consumer. This presentation is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Your feedback and suggestions are welcome

This workshop is inspired by

• My own personal lengthy journey of re-establishing sustainable sobriety after the loss of long-term sobriety
• The members I work with who have only been able to progress in recovery by looking at relevant physical/ medical issues. Most were despondent about any sort of sustainable progress. These members are some of my greatest teachers

Why so much failure?

This workshop seeks to explain why I’ve had so many members with the following experiences

• Those getting long term sobriety, doing everything that is asked of them, but who don’t feel happy joyous and free ( I was one of them!)
• Some who lose long term sobriety and struggle to regain it.
• Some, who after some time in sobriety and recovery, reject sexual recovery completely, abandoning long-held spiritual practices and beliefs
• Those who get shorter periods of sobriety, lose it and feel worn out by the process, then leaving the program
• The very low success rate in all the 12 Step, religious and psychological sexual recovery programs I have been around since 1986.
• Those listening to the idyllic long term recovery stories and wondering why not me?

Online interactive presentation of Threefold Recovery concepts for groups is available on request.

NEXT – SA official literature on Step Minus One