12 Step Group Programmes for Wives, Partners & Families of Sex & Porn Addicts

There is 12 step support available for spouses, partners and families of sex and porn addicts. The groups listed below are a great way to find fellowships with people who have been through the same traumas and experiences. They provide a safe place to share your experiences, thoughts and feelings and to get inspiration and comfort from other members.

Meetings are available in person and on-line.

Here are 12 benefits of 12-step groups for the wives and partners of sex and porn addicts:

  1. Supportive Community: 12-step groups provide a community of individuals who have experienced similar challenges, allowing wives and partners to connect, relate, and find support in others who understand their struggles.

  2. Emotional Validation: Within these groups, wives and partners can openly express their emotions, experiences, and doubts without fear of judgment, helping them to validate and understand their own feelings.

  3. Information and Education: Attending 12-step meetings provides access to valuable information and resources regarding sex addiction, empowering partners with knowledge to better understand the addiction and its impact.

  4. Coping Strategies: Wives and partners receive guidance on developing healthy coping mechanisms to deal with the emotional distress triggered by their partner's addiction, such as self-care techniques or relaxation exercises.

  5. Boundaries and Self-Worth: 12-step programs often focus on establishing healthy boundaries and recognizing one's self-worth, helping wives and partners regain control over their own lives and enhance their self-esteem.

  6. Shared Experience and Stories of Recovery: Participating in group discussions allows wives and partners to hear stories of recovery and resilience, helping them gain hope and motivation to navigate the healing process.

  7. Safety and Confidentiality: 12-step meetings maintain a safe and confidential environment, ensuring wives and partners feel comfortable speaking openly about their experiences and concerns.

  8. Ongoing Support: These groups often offer continuous support, creating a reliable and consistent network of individuals who can offer guidance, encouragement, and assistance throughout the recovery journey.

  9. Spiritual or Higher Power Connection: Many 12-step programs incorporate spirituality or a higher power as part of their approach, which can provide solace and a sense of purpose for wives and partners seeking a spiritual or transcendental connection in their recovery.

  10. Healthy Relationships: Through group interactions and learning from others, wives and partners can develop healthier relationship patterns, including improved communication skills and setting appropriate boundaries.

  11. Gaining Perspective: Attending 12-step groups enables wives and partners to gain a broader perspective on their partner's addiction, enabling them to distinguish between the addict's behaviour and their own self-worth.

  12. Healing and Personal Growth: The structured nature of 12-step programs can guide wives and partners through a transformative healing and growth process, assisting them in reclaiming their lives, finding forgiveness, and rebuilding trust.

Remember, the effectiveness of any support group can vary depending on the individual's personal experiences and preferences. It may be helpful to explore various 12-step groups specifically catered to partners of sex addicts to find the best fit.

12 Step Groups for Spouses, Partners & Families:

  • S-Anon UK

    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 programme of recovery is adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and is based on the Twelve Steps and the Twelve Traditions. There are no dues or fees for S-Anon membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.

    Website

  • S-ANON International

    The S-Anon 12 Step program provides support for family & friends of sex addicts.

    S-Anon Family Groups are for those who are hurting in response to the sexual addiction of someone close to them. It does not matter whether that person is a family member, a partner, spouse, child, or someone outside the family like a friend, teacher, or boss. Sexaholism can affect anyone.

    S-Anon is for people of all sexual orientations, genders, denominations, and races, those in a relationship or not, parents, children, relatives, friends and others whose lives have been affected by another person’s sexual behavior.

    Website

  • COSA

    COSA is a Twelve Step recovery program for those whose lives have been affected by compulsive sexual behavior. Adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon, COSA is a program for our spiritual development, no matter what our religious beliefs. As we meet to share our experience, strength, and hope while working the Twelve Steps, we grow stronger in spirit. We begin to lead our lives more serenely and in deeper fulfillment, little by little, one day at a time. Only in this way can we be of help to others.

    Website

  • Recovering Couples Anonymous

    Ours is a fellowship of recovering couples. We suffer from many addictions and dysfunctions, and we share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problems and help other recovering couples restore their relationships. The only requirement for membership is the desire to remain committed to each other and to develop new intimacy.

    RCA is open to all committed adult couples seeking to create or restore a caring, committed, and intimate monogamous relationship regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identification, religious background, culture, race, class, national origin, physical or mental challenge, or political affiliation. The RCA fellowship actively supports valuing differences both within a couple ship and among couples of diverse backgrounds. In our couple ships and in our groups, we are committed to valuing our differences and surmounting the barriers to serenity. Diversity is important to our couple ships and to the RCA fellowship because each of us, being different, makes a richer contribution to the whole. Each individual meeting is autonomous except in matters affecting other groups and RCA as a whole. We encourage you to check the directory on our website, www.recovering- couples.org, and call or email the Group Contact Couple (GCC) listed before attending a new meeting.

    Website

  • SA Lifeline

    S.A. Lifeline is the parent organization of SAL 12-Step: a trauma sensitive, spiritually centered, non-denominational, sponsor essential, gender-specific, traditional 12-Step program for men suffering from unwanted sexual behaviors and women struggling with the associated betrayal trauma. We have found truth in the theory that “Only an alcoholic can help an alcoholic.” We know from our own experience that the long-term resources and unique support our community can offer is a crucial complement to qualified therapy.

    Website

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

— Socrates