Often newcomers ask "I want to be shown a Sobriety path that doesn't have relapse"

Here's the answer!

If you start Recovery you can be sure that relapse may happen .
And that is no excuse not to start Trucking 

It's a symptom of recovery according to Patrick Carnes, Sex Addiction Expert, although there are ways for to avoid Relapse

He reports that relapse happens for most individuals who struggle with sex addiction in the second six months of recovery

See his eye opening GYE Video at end of this post for moreHere are his

Six stages of Recovery that those who succeed in their recovery go through.

I. The Developing Stage.

II. The Crisis/Decision Stage.

III. The Shock Stage.

IV. The Grief Stage.
Grieving involves denial or bargaining, anger at the loss, acceptance of the reality and sadness. This lasts from 4 – 8 months and for most occurs at the end of the first year and the beginning of the second year. This is WHY most slips occur in the 2nd half of the first year. Acting out is used to avoid pain and when the pain becomes overwhelming, the addiction brings relief.
The high stress associated with grief impairs the immune system. Stress and preoccupation reduce the ability to function normally, increasing vulnerability to accidents.
The characteristics of this stage are as follows: anger and defiance of the shock stage continue; sadness and pain are punctuated with periodic bouts of despair; extraordinary sadness exists about the losses incurred because of the addiction; a profound loss as the addiction ceases to serve as friend, comforter, and high; addicts take general stock of their lives, inventorying now beyond the addiction.. The expression of sadness shared with others leads to the acceptance of new realities. When the final acceptance occurs then significant change begins. Addicts must clearly admit to the extent and range of their behavior. Awareness of the addiction will expand and deepen over many years. It seems important that addicts perceive the broad outlines of their behavior and grasp that the addiction is more than just behavior but involves beliefs, attitudes and distorted thinking which have preserved the denial and delusion. With the growing acceptance, you enter the repair stage.

V. The Repair Stage.

VI. The Growth Stage.
Addicts explore new options and restructure relationships.

https://gye.vids.io/videos/7c9bd1b81819e7c3f4/dr-patrick-carnes-leading-sex-addiction-expert-video-interview[/spoiler]

Thanks Mark for this.

Are they mutually exclusive? Like, In the grief stage, could you perhaps experience growth? Or is it an illusion?

I wonder if I'm as awful an addict as I make myself out to be. Either way, the 12 steps and meetings are working. So I'ma KOT

I a not sure Awful and Addict should go in the same sentence together =)

IMO relapse is a part of recovery, but that doesn't necessarily mean acting out, watching porn, masturbating, etc. It can mean crossing back over boundaries that you set yourself, you know, the grey (that means gray in English ) areas.

The reason I say that is because I've met a lot of people who never acted out since getting into recovery. That's not my story, but it is possible.

In my opinion, its good to analyze and understand these stages of recovery, but its not an exact science, so you could go through a few of them at the same time, or in different orders, or at a completely different pace.
But very helpful prep work

Personally, I have relapsed so many times in my life before starting recovery, that I'm very scared of relapsing right now.
Watson, I totally dig your understanding of it.

Thank you Markz, this is very interesting, i guess i am still on the right track then. but B.H. it was not a total relapse, just the grey borders - as someone wrote here - where crossed but now i am back again. Facebook is just a big Y.H. for me, i just have to block it.

Watson,

Your experience seems to be the rule, not the exception. My therapist told me that they are starting to shift their understanding of addiction to something that should be viewed as a chronic problem which can. E dealt with even if someone doesn't stop completely. (Not advocating that here, just saying)

Harm reduction and relapse prevention are two big tools that they teach addicts these days if they're doing CBT.