Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery From Sex Addiction and Other Temporary Insanities

by Staci Sprout

IN THIS INTENSELY PERSONAL MEMOIR, Staci Sprout offers a vulnerable account of her recovery journey from the painful world of sexual intrigue and addiction.

She was an honors student and cheerleader, and later a talented young social worker, but her life had a dark twist even her closest friends didn't suspect. Childhood sexual abuse and exposure to pornography had ignited a drive to be sexual that eventually threatened to unravel her sanity and her life. Desperate for relief, she tried psychotherapy, hypnotism, bodywork, and traditional and pagan spirituality. Nothing helped until a near-death experience became a turning point and she found her way into the rooms of 12-Step recovery for sex addiction.

Staci's story reveals what can happen when a woman refuses to give up in her fight for dignity and freedom. The wisdom that emerges will be both a roadmap and inspiration for anyone, male or female, who struggles with sexual addiction - and to their loved ones.

Genres: Addiction, Memoir, Psychology, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published September 23, 2015

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Her memories of her past are either cloudy or too painful to share in much detail. It leaves the reader wanting to know more of her story so they can empathize with her pain. However, I think this book would be helpful for anyone who is suffering from a sex/love addiction.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book - subject matter is tough but the author writes well and never makes this about sexy or tantalizing. Does not shy away from the hard facts and while there are not pages and pages of details about each conquest, the author does an excellent job of giving us enough information to understand that none of what she was living is something anyone would ever want to go through.

Talks honestly about AA, addiction and how confusing everything can be.

Loved this book.

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brave and courageous account of one woman's journey to health and happiness. Staci writes with clarity and compassion about a difficult subject that more people need to know about, and to which she sheds light and understanding.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you...

A great easy to understand memoir. At last someone who is brave to be open. Thank you for helping me understand who I am just a little

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that describes recovery and 12 Step work, it’s not just for sex addicts. I especially appreciated the awareness of how addiction doesn’t come in one type only, there are often multiples acting in a person’s life - for Staci it was food, substances, and sex. I also appreciated the unfolding of her recovery over years, it’s not a simple or quick process. As a clinician this is important for me to understand in supporting my clients, and for my own personal life. The difficult part of the book is the seemingly fairy tale ending. All of her family members were open to her process and healed too, then she found Mr. Right and they sailed into the sunset. She’s the first person I know of to have things tie up in a bow like that. Life doesn’t stop being hard and it’s important to be real about that when helping people in recovery.

[Keely · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true story of recovery & healing

Gratitude overwhelms as I’ve read this book, and the proof is in the many highlighted & screenshot sections & excerpts in my Kindle & iPhone, some of which appeared in my texts to friends & family & even my facebook profile- and in my journal entries as I’ve read. Staci Sprout is a courageous intelligent author with great clarity in her writing. She seems to intuit the key elements of her life story & process that convey steps (not referring to 12-step group curriculum here) needed to illuminate a healing path for fellow survivors of abuse & people who struggle with various addictions. The story balances happy, strengthening memories with challenges so the reader is not overwhelmed when difficulties are addressed. Events of a sexual nature are communicated respectfully in the context of recovery, and the sense of wholesome joy & triumph over the forces that have taken the happiness away from the lives of so many. Here’s proof, recovery is possible! And the understanding that we’ve each got to define that term (among others) for ourselves is priceless.

[Mike Mirzamani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice read

I was curious enough to continue to read the book in anticipation of finding out who the mystery man was, but no further information was given about him. I would think once you are abused, you end up getting to know and become very close to your abuser's personality or way of thinking - all done in order to move on and accept what has happened. Obviously, everybody's experience and degree of abuse is different, but it might be possible to know the truth and accept it.

I should also say I have learned so much from reading this book, and would definitely recommend it.

[Qi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the honesty and how Staci manages to reflect so well upon her life: Her repeated usage of "If I think back to it now..." was quite noticeable and I always enjoyed that! I would guess that self-reflection is one thing that one learns (or has to try to learn) when doing such 12-step programs.

It was cool to get insights into the life of a sex addict and into the dynamic of self-help groups. The ending was a little sudden for me but I can see why she would see her marriage as an optimal ending point.

[Emma Burger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was super blown away by Staci's story, and how openly she writes it. She writes so honestly about cycles of abuse, intergenerational trauma, addiction, and recovery, which takes a lot of courage. The book itself was fast-paced and gripping, and she offers such a compassionate picture of her addiction and its causes. I learned a lot from her story, and I'm sure she and her book have helped a lot of people.

[JayBooksie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Solid book about sex addiction, especially her time spent in 12-step meetings and working the steps.

Too bad the author has gone done some REALLY weird conspiracy theory rabbit holes in recent years. Fortunately, none of that makes its way into the book.

[Michael Duncan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the best and most thorough information on recovery. The world will follow.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

9\10 really good!!

[P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agree with the positive reviews. An inspiring book.

[Bridget DeYoung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Truthfully I did not like this book. I found myself dragging through it. I felt really angry at the author and her choices at times. And I’ve read a lot of addiction memoirs and sex addiction memoirs. I see a lot of memoirists talk about bad decisions. And I always relate instead of getting angry. But I just got so frustrated. And the way she wrote felt really juvenile. I was expecting a lot more coming from a sex therapist.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Naked in Public: A Memoir of Recovery from Sex Addition and Other Temporary Insanities is a very personal account of author Staci Sprout's struggle with sex addiction. If you are looking for a salacious account of the addiction, you won't find the sordid details of her actions here, but you will find a raw account of her struggle and definitely get a sense of the pain the struggle has caused her. Sprout is very much a proponent of 12 step programs to fight addictions and her experience in several self help groups makes up a large part of the book. I think that those who struggle with sexual addictions would find the book to be of help as they likely could identify with the struggles of the author. There is also a section in the back of the book that listed resources that would be of help to those with sexual addiction.


Full disclosure: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Doni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this really helpful when first joining the rooms and trying to sort through the newness (and horror) of the addiction.