"Shiviti- I have set God before me at all times." (Psalms16:8)

Shiviti is an expression of hishtavut (equanimity):

No matter what happens, whether people praise or shame you, and so, too, with anything else, it is all the same to you. This applies likewise to any food: it is all the same to you whether you eat delicacies or other things. For [with this perspective] the yetzer hara is entirely removed from you.

Whatever may happen, say that "it comes from [God], blessed be He, and if it is proper in His eyes..."Your motives are altogether for the sake of Heaven, and as for yourself nothing makes any difference. This [sense of equanimity] is a very high level.

Lehavdil - this is very similar to the 12-Step approach, in the sense of accepting Hashem's will for ourselves no matter what happens or how we feel.

Often, people just don't trust the power of Torah to save them from the clutches of the Yetzer Hara. They try everything, the 12 steps, meditations, psychotherapy, etc... but they won't sit down and learn a blat of Gemara. My friends! Gemara is "sechel hayashar" - "straight thinking". When a person thinks straight, all the bilbulim and dimyonos (confusion and imaginary fantasies) of the yetzer hara vanish! The Rebbe of Karlin used to say that the best mussar sefer is a Blat of Gemara. The power that the Torah has to cleanse us out is incredible. Like Chaza"l say;"Hame'or Sheba Machziro Lemutav " - "the light in it will return him to good".

So when you feel that darkness creep into your soul, when that insidious void enters your heart and pulls you to gratify yourself with artificial pleasures, take an English Artscroll Gemara instead, go to the nearest Bet Medrash and spend 25 minutes uninterruptedly in a blat Gemara. Sink your mind into the questions and answers of Chaza"l, work out the intricacies of a Sugya, and I promise - you will walk away feeling freer than ever!

"Ain ben Chorin Ela Mi She'osek Batorah" - "There is no free man like he who delves in the Torah" .

Do you have a problem with obsessive and compulsive porn use? Have you seriously tried the tools on GYE and feel that you are not getting better? Maybe it’s time to consider joining a 12-Step program.

Porn Anonymous (PA)
If you’re compulsively acting-out with pornography and masturbation we suggest you explore joining Porn Anonymous (PA). If you need help deciding whether to join PA, call Michael at 347-699-2368, or email help@pornanonymous.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit pornanonymous.org (Hebrew: p-a.org.il / Yiddish: pa-yid.org).

Sexaholics Anonymous (SA)
If your compulsive acting-out has progressed beyond the screen (with other people, paid sexual services, etc.) we suggest you explore joining Sexaholics Anonymous (SA). To figure out if SA is for you, call Dov at 917-414-8205, or email Dov at dov@guardyoureyes.org to schedule a time to talk. For more information visit www.sa.org.