The accountability and that responsibility of someone to another is essential to the recovery process. I was open with him about things that were hard for me. "I can't watch these types of movies. I can't go to activities like this. These are triggers for me." Talking about it to my therapist and talking to my friends and my family--it's just made all the difference. Accountability is key in this. A person has to acknowledge the problem, the challenge, and own it. There's accountability in professions. There's accountability in marriage. There's accountability in everything we do. So surely there is accountability in how we use our agency.

But in the process of using this agency and recognizing we are accountable and keeping the lofty goal, the main goal for the purpose we're here, always in the back of our mind--and that is that we want to return and receive all the blessings our Heavenly Father has. There's a tendency sometimes for someone to say, "Well, I'm addicted, and therefore it's beyond my control. I'm a victim. I can't deal with this. I'm helpless." Accountability says no, even there you have to accept responsibility for this problem and own it and work on it. You don't have to work alone. And you do have the blessings of the Atonement and its grace and its influence in your life and its healing effects. But you've got to call on that. You've got to work toward it and receive it. We've agreed that if there's a slip or something happens, that I'll let her know within 24 hours. And it's actually motivation for me to stay away from things I think will cause a slip or something. But then if there is a slip, I just tell her. And it's scary having to go through that process again. But she's been super helpful in saying, "OK, well, what happened? What can we do different?" and not blowing up. At the same time, I do need to give a good-faith effort. He kind of has this policy of full disclosure. So he'll tell me if there's a day that he's online and he goes to a website and something pops up. He'll say, "Today ..." He'll tell me about it. He's not afraid to admit that he has a weakness. And that also put me at ease and helps me to be honest and know that I can share my weaknesses with him, too, and he won't judge me for it. Instead, I think we end up being a better support for each other. Daily accountability is something that has helped me immensely. And when I say that, it's being accountable to Jeanette. When I have negative emotions that I'm dealing with, I tell her, "Hey, I am dealing with this." I have friends that I've made pacts with, where I've made promises to: "If I'm ever struggling with anything, I'll reach out to you." The Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement make it possible for all of us to come unto Him, to really accept Him and love Him and strive to keep His commandments, and to repent if we need to. And that's accountability, when we're willing to use the eternal principles to help us become the kind of people, sons and daughters, that our Heavenly Father wants us to be when we return to Him. Now it's a totally different story. I can make mistakes and be myself. And I can accomplish things and still be myself. And so I don't need to be anything that I'm not. I can just be me, and that's OK with everyone around me. We need to take the anonymity out of it. If we can take the anonymity, the secrecy, out of this issue, far less people would stumble into it and kind of collapse into that rubble of addiction. Being honest and open in recovery is paramount to your success. And the reason is because it's a way for you to be accountable. It's scary, but only by opening up can you let other people come in and help you. [MUSIC PLAYING]