“I struggled with sexual addiction for as long as I can remember. Late childhood to early teens was marked as a happy time, but scattered throughout were seeds of shame and fear.

I battled with a world of secrets in internet pornography. Throughout my marriage it has been an up and down battle. Deep in my heart I knew that overcoming this addiction would require a change that was deeper and more comprehensive than ever before.

For months I worked regularly with my individual therapist and started attending group. I learned more about the biochemistry of addiction as well as the effects that shame and my early relationships had on my ability to connect with others. Perhaps the greatest moment in my recovery was learning to love myself.

“The first week I attended LifeSTAR I knew it would be a program that would change my life, with or without my partner. Just knowing I was not alone in how I felt and that other partners were going through the same things as me was amazing. The connection I made in those first weeks with another partner has tremendously made a difference in my recovery from the trauma I have felt because of my spouse’s addiction. I cannot imagine trying to do this without LifeSTAR’s program and support! I highly recommend that all partners participate in their addict’s recovery and come to the program with them. It is life changing.”

“When I entered LifeSTAR I felt like there was little to no help for me.  I thought that I was a disgusting human being, having struggled with my addiction to pornography for the last 17 years of my 31 year life.  I was on the brink of losing everything, my wife and family, my job. This was not who I wanted to be, but it was who pornography and addiction made me to be. A friend referred me to LifeSTAR. Starting a new program was scary at first, the fear was not as great as the relief and strength I gained each week.  LifeSTAR saved my life.  I am forever grateful to the people at LifeSTAR for showing me that I do have worth and value, despite my struggles and imperfection. Thank you LifeSTAR!!”

“Involving my wife was a missing ingredient to my recovery, as difficult as it was to freely talk about my issues. However, we followed the LifeStar program found tremendous growth as I began to separate from my addiction. I had no idea how ignorant I was abut my own life and history, things essential to know in order to change core behaviors related to my addiction. With that knowledge I feel empowered to do what is necessary to begin the healing.”

I have tried to beat my sex addiction all my life. I always believed I could. I finally resigned myself to a life of misery. LifeSTAR provided a framework, tools, and an environment (group) to peel back the layers to find underlying faulty thinking that supported my addiction. Without it, I would still be just a shell of a man constructed on a pretense of who I wasn’t, but always wanted to be.

“In the LifeSTAR program, I realized that I wasn’t alone. Other women were in as much pain as I was. The program put me on a path that eventually led to my finding peace and healing—things that I thought I would never find again in my life.”

“This recovery program helped me see that the deeply held, negative views I had of myself were actually driving my need to numb and escape through pornography and sex. I now have the relationship with my spouse that I always wanted.”