I admit that I'm a little surprised at the tone of this thread given the little bit of information shared about it at the beginning. Having been a addict for over 30 years and struggling for years to find a way out, the ARP program is the only thing that has helped me. And I now feel free from a behavior that at one time I could honestly not control (anyone who's suffered from an addiction will understand).

Let me describe it to you. The manual is available online so you can read through it if you like.

1. The program is structured after the 12 steps of AA - the only significant modifications that have been made are related to the "higher power" which the Church equates to the atonement of Jesus Christ. The principles that relate to this higher power then are talked about in terms of Christ vs. the more generic reference.

2. There are two kinds of ARP program - one is a "general addiction" ARP which can include any and every kind of addiction, men and women, etc. They speak in general about their addictions using the principles presented in the manual as a guide. The second is much more specific called PASG - which is the Pornography Addiction Support Group. This is usually gender specific (men or women only groups) and of course focuses entirely on pornography and related problems. There is also a spousal support group associated with most of these, given the damage to a marriage that often comes along with these kinds of problems. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic and the difficulty in talking about it for most men and women, these meetings are separate.

3. Most of these groups meet on a weekly basis (usually during the week), at one of the buildings which are cleared of other activities for that night. While Church leaders may recommend to members that they attend, they do not attend the meetings, nor are they provided with any reports of who attends. The process of working with a bishop is separate, though in cases where a group is not established, bishops are encouraged to help individuals through the steps using the manual as well.

4. The rules of AA are traditionally followed - only first names, open discussion about principles associated with steps (mine covers a different step each week in sequence) followed by a sharing session where each individual introduces themselves and shares whatever they're working on at the moment (which step they're on, where they're struggling, where they're making progress, etc.)

5. One of the group members - usually the one whose been there the longest and maintained sobriety for more than a year serves as facilitator to guide the discussion and sharing processes.

6. While from an LDS perspective, repentence is related - it is acknowledged openly and frequently that recovery is not the same as repentence. Most of us have sought counseling in addition to the program to get extra insight into what drives the addictive behavior.

7. LDS as well as non-LDS folk attend these meetings. If pornography is just an LDS problem brought on by dysfunctional antiquated ideas about sex, someone forgot to tell these other folks that they're normal. They're just as concerned as their LDS counterparts about what this obsessive behavior has done to their lives, families, careers, etc.

Anyway....no argument intended - just wanted to provide some insight to the program from one who has been there for just over two years. It's saved my life and my family.

I don't expect that this will change the view of anyone here about the church (nor was that my intent), but I believe it's always better that the information you form your opinions from be accurate.

My only comment is that the reason this is effective is because the mormons borrowed it wholesale from somewhere else. They didn't invent it.

Ok....so?....it works.

The Church never claimed they invented it anyway. The original AA steps are printed at the very front of the manual to show where the modified steps originated and to give credit where credit is due.

It's just another "service" the church offers its members that is to be found elsewhere. Everything positive about Mormonism can be found better in other places.

Yes, they're trying to help, and I do give them credit for that---they do it so rarely. My personal guess is that they offer this because its cheap (they probably don't even pay the mentor/teacher/whatever) and that people with addictions don't pay as much tithing. Like everything else, they've done a cost/benefit analysis.

The Mormon church has such a twisted, unhealthy attitude toward human sexuality that I wouldn't trust anything the church has to say about so called, "pornography addiction." You cannot teach from a foundation of ignorance.

"The First Presidency has interpreted oral sex as constituting an unnatural, impure, or unholy practice. If a person is engaged in a practice which troubles him enough to ask about it, he should discontinue it."
- Official Declaration of the First Presidency of the Church, January 5th, 1982

http://www.i4m.com/think/leaders/spencer-kimball-teachings.htm

Irrelevant.

All in the program eventually recognize there is an aspect of their behavior that is making their life unmanageable and hurting their relationships with others (usually the most important relationships).

The causes for addiction (any addiction) are many and varied, but there are common threads that flow through most of them. This program is as effective as any at helping to explore those causes, but more importantly focuses on the solution.

The manual is actually written by addicts who have been through the recovery process. No teaching from a foundation of ignorance there....they've been there and done that.

And it's helping many people who have not been able to find hope before - which I think is a significant indicator of any program's value.

There may even be individuals on here that struggle with addictions they've kept hidden (I know exactly what that's like - believe me). Whether you seek help through the Church's ARP or another program with a similar focus - it doesn't matter - just get help somewhere.

If I'm troubled by the frequency or character of my sex life with my husband and want to ask about it, the inspired advice is to just discontinue it?


Anagrammy

Well then, good for them and you! You seem to be quite certain in this matter and not open to constructive criticism of the Mormon Method.

Glad it worked for you.

:P

I think the addiction recovery program could be effective in the LDS church as long as they are treating true addictions and are focusing on the underlying causes of the addiction. I think this rarely happens in the LDS church. They are more fixated on abstaining from what they consider evil things such as pornography or alcohol. An LDS therapist recently wrote an article and talked about a young man who was referred to her for addiction treatment because he occasionally looked at pornography and masturbated about 3 times per week. Neither of these things was an addiction in his case but anything less than complete abstinence in Mormonism is not acceptable. I think the majority of the men in these programs at the church are not truly addicted. Most of them still get up and go to work everyday and support their families. It might be causing problems in their marriages but that is mainly because their wives make a big deal out of it as they have been trained to do by the church, not because their husbands are addicted and it is ruining them.

Well stated.

I agree. I went to one of those groups and I saw many people that didn't belong there. One young man from my ward showed up. He was getting ready to go on a mission, and his departure had been delayed. I didn't ask why he was there but he didn't have a girlfriend. He wasn't old enough and didn't have enough money to do anything serious, like go to strip clubs or massage parlors. Subtracting 2 and 2 from 4 left 0. Or in this case 1.

For those that do have problems, the group is a help because one realizes that they are not alone, that there are other men out there that are struggling with the same issues. Being part of a group working toward the same goal is a huge help.

dlars38 Wrote:
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> 6. While from an LDS perspective, repentence is
> related - it is acknowledged openly and frequently
> that recovery is not the same as repentence.

Basically the AA model with extra added guilt and shame.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2012 11:00PM by baura.

I've facilitated the ARP program in my area for several years. I used to use the ARP manual but it was too hard to pretend to go through the steps with new people each week. I added Dr Galen Cole's book (see www.truepsychology.org) called TRUE PSYCHOLOGY to the mix of what we talk about as it teaches 12 life competencies that everyone can use to improve any aspect of their lives (mental monitoring, problem solving, visioning, goal session, motivation, etc.). Participants love it. Just a suggestion. Jo

deleted -- I didn't see dazed11's post above. I knew someone in that situation going to this group, and it seemed like a ridiculous use of an addiction program.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 11/05/2013 12:08PM by Makurosu.