By Jennifer Matesa

Hazelden Publishing

Are you in recovery? Are you struggling with how to have sexual relationships and still maintain your sobriety? This book looks at how addiction, recovery, and sexuality are related.

Matesa interviewed over 30 people in recovery who were willing to discuss sex and sexuality with her. This book contains their candid conversations and “topic chapters” where Matesa offers her own personal story and observations. Topic chapters end with “Queries for Discussion” questions specific to the topic, such as “How long has it been since someone else last touched my skin?” in the chapter on Touch.

She describes Thirteenth Stepping, when a person with more recovery time becomes involved sexually with a newcomer, which she sees as a form of sexual harassment. Other topics include trauma, such as childhood sexual trauma, which can make an individual more likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs, and the One-Year Rule, which recommends no new relationships or marital changes for a year.

For Matesa, no matter what the topic, she believes in making recovery a top priority.

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Last Updated on February 6, 2020