Common Terms

90 in 90: Attending ninety 12 Step meetings in ninety days as a way to jump-start recovery 

Animated pornography:  Cartoons that depict pornographic stories or images

Anonymity:  The focus in 12 Step fellowships to keep names and information learned in groups confidential

ARP (Addiction Recovery Program): A 12 Step fellowship for all addictions sponsored by LDSFS free of charge

Child pornography:  Portrays children or adolescents engaged in sexual activities

Closed meetings: A 12 Step meeting that is only open to those who are seeking personal recovery. Generally SA or S-Anon meetings are closed

Cybersex: Any sexual activity, display, or discussion engaged in by means of a computer

Erotica:  Sexually explicit literature or art

Family Support Groups:  12 Step meetings run by LDSFS for the loved ones of addicts

Hard-core pornography:  Graphic depictions of sexual acts

Internet pornography:   Pornography distributed via the internet

LDSFS:  LDS Family Services

Lust: Uncontrolled or illicit sexual desire or appetite

Masturbation:  Stimulating oneself to satisfy sexual urges

Obscenity:  The character or quality of being morally offensive

Online sexual activity:  When two or more people connected via the internet send sexually explicit messages as they role play or describe a sexual experience

PASG (Pornography Addiction Support Group): A 12 Step group for those struggling with pornography addiction, sponsored by LDSFS

Pornography:  Writing, pictures, or films designed to stimulate sexual excitement

Promiscuity:  Sex with many partners

Recovery:  Replacing addictive habits with honest, open, and healthy behaviors

SA (Sexaholics Anonymous):  A nationally based 12 Step program, patterned after Alcoholics Anonymous, for those struggling with pornography and sexual addiction

S-Anon:  A nationally based 12 Step program for the loved ones of sexual pornography addicts

Sexting: When an individual sends sexually explicit text messages or pictures to another person

Sobriety:  Abstinence from sex with oneself or any partners besides one’s spouse

Soft-core pornography:  Less graphic pornography including suggestive music videos, swimsuit magazines, sexualized stories, or pictures of partially naked or fully naked people

Sponsor:  A person who has recovered from a specific addiction and can offer hope, support, and practical guidance to a recovering addict

Triggers:  Stimuli, conflicts, or pressures that provoke a fantasy, feeling, or thought that leads to our acting out

White Book:  The guidebook for SA meetings published by SA International