Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA) is a

twelve-step program Twelve-step programs are international mutual aid programs supporting recovery from substance addictions, behavioral addictions and compulsions. Developed in the 1930s, the first twelve-step program, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), aided its members ...

for people who want to stop having compulsive sex. SCA founding is attributed variously to 1982 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

and to 1973 in Los Angeles. Although the fellowship originally sought to address issues of sexual compulsion among gay and bisexual men, and this is still the fellowships predominant demographic, today the program is

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is a ...

friendly, open to all sexual orientations, and there is an increasing number of women and heterosexual men participating. SCA meetings are most likely to be held in urban areas with larger gay and bisexual male populations. The majority of members are

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, but vary in age and socioeconomic background. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop having compulsive sex.

Sexual recovery plans

SCA supports healthy sexual expression and does not expect members to repress their sexuality, which they believe is associated with

sexual anorexia Sexual anorexia is a term coined in 1975 by psychologist Nathan Hare to describe a fear of or deep aversion to sexual activity. It is a pathological loss of "appetite" for romantic-sexual interaction, often the result of a fear of intimacy to the ...

. Members are encouraged to develop their own definition of sexual sobriety that does not place unreasonable demands on their time or energy, place them in legal jeopardy, or endanger their health. SCA members incorporate their definition of sexual sobriety into what they call a sexual recovery plan. Sexual recovery plans are modeled on the work of

Patrick Carnes Patrick Carnes (born 1944) is an American proponent of the viewpoint that some Human sexual activity, sexual behavior is an addiction. According to CBS News, he popularized the term sex addiction. He created the International Institute for Trauma ...

, a

sexual addiction According to proponents of the concept, sexual addiction, also known as sex addiction, is a state characterized by compulsive participation or engagement in sexual activity, particularly sexual intercourse, despite negative consequences. The con ...

researcher, based on the model for

Overeaters Anonymous Overeaters Anonymous (OA) is a twelve-step program founded in 1960 for people with problems related to food including, but not limited to, compulsive overeaters, those with binge eating disorder, bulimics and anorexics. Anyone with a problematic ...

(OA), whose members create individualized "food plans." Sexual recovery plans have three columns: abstinence, high-risk, and recovery—analogous to the three circles used in

Sex Addicts Anonymous Sex Anonymous (SAA) is a twelve-step program founded in 1977 for people who want to stop their addictive sexual behavior. There also exists a group known as COSA, for those who have been impacted by others' sexual addiction. Introduction SAA was ...

. The sexual recovery plan is used as a blueprint for recovery. The abstinence column includes "bottom-line" behaviors corresponding to relapse and from which members ask their Higher Power to be freed. The high-risk column includes behaviors, emotional states, ritualized activities, and situations that make them vulnerable to relapse. The recovery column includes positive behaviors that support their wellbeing and meet their needs in a healthy manner.

Literature and publications

SCA distributes its own literature, including the primary book used in the fellowship, ''Sexual Compulsives Anonymous: A Program of Recovery,'' and several book-length and smaller brochures and pamphlets, such as ''What About Masturbation?'', ''Q&A: A Guide for Newcomers'' and ''Secret Shame.'' Parts of these brochures are published on the SCA website. SCA also publishes an online journal known as ''The SCAnner.'' * * * * * * * SCA developed "The Twenty Questions," an instrument allowing potential members to self-evaluate their sexual compulsivity. The results of this questionnaire correlate with symptoms of

prefrontal cortex In mammalian brain anatomy, the prefrontal cortex (PFC) covers the front part of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex. The PFC contains the Brodmann areas BA8, BA9, BA10, BA11, BA12, BA13, BA14, BA24, BA25, BA32, BA44, BA45, BA46, ...

dysfunction, an area of the brain thought to be relevant to

addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use o ...

—not only to substances, but also behaviors such as sex and gambling as measured according to the (FrSBe) Frontal Systems Behavior Scale.

References

External links

Sexual Compulsives Anonymous

The SCAnner

Documentation and KPFK recordings concerning earliest West Coast meetings starting in 1973
* {{worldcat id, id=nc-sexual+compulsives+anonymous Addiction organizations in Canada Twelve-step programs Human sexuality organizations Organizations established in 1982 Sexual addiction LGBT family and peer support groups 1982 establishments in New York City

Sexual recovery plans

Literature and publications

See also

References

External links