Passcode:976431 Group Code: NRTE0055
(meeting time: one hour fifteen minutes - total time reserved: one hour fifty five minutes)
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Group Contacts: |
Phone |
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Melissa W. |
314-853-5687 |
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Michelle R. |
559-270-5629 |
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Welcome to the Tuesday Morning Women's Only SAA Big Book study tele-meeting. Let’s open this meeting with a moment of silent meditation, each in her own way, followed by the serenity prayer.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
To paraphrase the Foreword to the First Edition:
WE, OF Sex Addicts Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other sex addicts precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book. For them, we hope these pages will prove so convincing that no further authentication will be necessary. We think this account of our experiences will help everyone to better understand the sex addict. Many do not comprehend that the sex addict is a very sick person. And besides, we are sure that our way of living has its advantages for all.
My name is _________ (give name and last initial) and I am a sex addict. By the grace of a very loving God, my sobriety date is _____________ (Month/Date/Year).
Is there anyone on the line who does not have an AA Big Book in front of them? (Pause for names). If you don’t have an AA Big Book in front of you, you can access it on-line at www.aa.org/bigbookonline/
This is a women's only, open meeting and as such all women who have an interest in sex addiction and our program of recovery are welcome. Because this is an open meeting, you need not identify yourself nor your reason for being here if you do not wish to do so. Your anonymity will be protected. We ask that you protect ours.
If you are a man with an interest in sex addiction and our program of recovery, please call Ken C. at 214-498-8610 or Jon at 817-723-4177, and they will be happy to help you find what you need.
While this is an open women's meeting, membership in Sex Addicts Anonymous is restricted to those who have a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior for good and all. If you are struggling with drugs or alcohol or some other addictive issue, CA, AA, NA or one of 200 or more other 12 Step fellowships are where you will find your solution. If you are looking for a solution to one of these respective problems and have not found one, please let a trusted servant know, and we will be happy to assist you in finding a group that will meet your needs. If you do not struggle with addictive sexual behavior, or you do not have a desire to stop, you are welcome to stay and listen to us study, but we ask that you restrict your participation to merely reading the indicated text when called upon.
At this time we would like to recognize those who have reached certain milestones in their pursuit of sobriety. Is anyone celebrating an anniversary today?
We would also like to welcome any newcomers to SAA. If there is anyone here who would like to begin her journey to sobriety, or if you would like to recommit to sobriety after a recent slip, we would like to acknowledge you. Being acknowledged indicates that you have a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior for good and all. We appreciate the courage it takes to do this. Is there anyone here who would like to begin her journey to sobriety this morning? (pause for names, welcoming each one)
We'll do that again at the end of the meeting.
If you have questions about how to work the Steps as instructed by the Big Book, your sponsor is the proper person to whom to pose them. If you are not getting satisfactory answers, if you are looking for a sponsor or looking for a new sponsor, perhaps there is someone here who can help. If this applies to you, please get a pen and paper to write down names and numbers of potential sponsors now. Will those of you who have worked these Steps, had a spiritual awakening and have the time & willingness to work with others please announce yourselves and your phone numbers, so that those looking for guidance will know who they can entrust their lives to? (pause for names and phone numbers)
In this meeting we stay focused on the instructions in the Big Book of A.A. Time and experience have proven it to be the most successful approach to the Steps no matter what the addictive problem may be. We as sex addicts know that we must be focused on two things: either applying these Steps or studying their instructions for better application. We know that if we do not do these things that we will surely act out. And for us, to act out is to die. For our study purposes, we will use the Big Book Study Guide prepared by members of Dallas’s Primary Purpose Group of Alcoholics Anonymous. In this guide there are questions correlated with almost every sentence in the Big Book. The trusted servant will read a question and call upon a member to read the correlating sentence. If you feel comfortable doing so, please feel free to adapt the language to how it applies to women sex addicts, except where it is historically pertinent. If you have comments regarding the text read, please restrict them to your insights into its message as it relates to your sex addiction.
We consider all else to be an outside issue. This includes personal problems. The proper venue for sharing such problems is with a sponsor. This, after all, is where real recovery takes place – in working the Steps with a sponsor. If you feel the need to check- in, please contact a member who has already shared their phone number with you. The two of you can then contact each other outside of the tele-meeting. For the newcomer, there will be a period of fellowship after the meeting where you can discuss other issues and other literature.
Before we begin our Big Book study I’d like to remind everyone that the only other literature we refer to in this meeting is a dictionary from the 1930’s, if it is needed. Now we will review a Tradition. This week's Tradition is _______. _________ (call on someone by name, preferably with knowledge and experience with the Traditions) would you honor us by reading the long form of the tradition, followed by the short form. (Pause for reading). ________ do you have anything you would like to say about that?
We will begin our study today on page ______.
I will now turn the meeting over to __________ for the study portion of the meeting.
****************************************************.
(The Trusted servant has a volunteer read about one to one and a half pages, then reads the study guide questions calling on participants to read the answers from the text. After each paragraph, the trusted servant opens the meeting for discussion as follows: "The meeting is now open for experience and knowledge about this paragraph as it relates to your sex addiction." If discussion strays to outside issues, personal problems, other literature, etc, the Trusted Servant may say "I would like to remind the group to restrict comments to the directions for working this program of recovery found in the text just read as it relates to sex addiction." Or the Trusted Servant may re-read the highlighted text in the opening above).
CLOSING
“Our book is meant to be suggestive only. We realize we know only a little. God will constantly disclose more to you and to us. Ask Him in your morning meditation what you can do each day for the man (and woman) who is still sick. The answers will come, if your own house is in order. But you obviously cannot transmit something you haven’t got. See to it that your relationship with Him is right, and great events will come to pass for you and for countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
“Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us. We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny.
“May God bless you and keep you until then”
this is from the Big Book page 164.
We would like to acknowledge at this time anyone wishing to start her journey to sobriety. Being acknowledged indicates a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior for good and for all, but we don’t act-out just one day at a time. Does anyone want to begin her journey today? (pause for names and welcome each one)
Our Seventh Tradition states that "every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions." 12-step meetings around the world normally pass a basket at this time to receive donations that are used to support recovery. Because this activity is not possible in our telemeeting, we encourage you to make donations to our Intergroup to support the telemeetings and the ISO. This can be done at www.saatalk.org or by sending a check to :
Telemeeting Intergroup
PO Box 434015
St. Louis, MO 63143
Our group conscience meeting is held the last Tuesday of the month.
Are there any SAA related announcements?
(pause for announcements)
Prayer List:
Are there any prayer requests? (Pause for prayer requests, the opening/closing trusted servant will maintain a prayer list for the month and forward it to the next month's trusted servant)
Please join us in community in a moment of silence for these prayer requests and for the sex addict who still suffers, followed by the Lord’s prayer, or a prayer of your choice in silence.
Who keeps us sober?...
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day, our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not in to temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen
(All meetings except the last Thursday of the month, read the following)
It’s now time for fellowship, and this is a great time to ask questions, feel free to leave at any time. Are there any newcomers with questions?
(Last Tuesday of the month only)
It is now time for the Group Conscience meeting which will be followed by fellowship. If you are new, please stick around, we’d love to talk to you. (page down)
(Note to Trusted Servant : please review Robert's Rules of Order at http://www.robertsrules.org/ prior to the Group Conscience Meeting. We follow these loosely.)
GROUP CONSCIENCE AGENDA
Welcome to the Tuesday Morning Women's Only SAA Big Book Study Group Conscience Meeting. My name is ______ and I’m a sex addict and your trusted servant for this meeting.
To paraphrase from Alcoholics Anonymous Appendix I:
"To those now in its fold, Sex Addicts Anonymous has made the difference between misery and sobriety, and often the difference between life and death. SAA can of course mean just as much to uncounted sex addicts not yet reached. Therefore, no society of men and women ever had a more urgent need for continuous effectiveness and permanent unity. We sex addicts see that we must work together and hang together, else most of us will finally die alone. The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous are, we SAAs believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, 'How can SAA best stay whole and survive?' "
Would someone please read The Twelve Traditions, the short form, p. 562 of the AA Big Book.
In keeping with our traditions, do we have any old business to discuss?
Do we have any new business to discuss?
In keeping with our traditions, this group rotates service positions.
We need a Trusted Servant to open and close the meeting for the next month. Suggested guidelines for this service position are to have an SAA Big Book sponsor and to be working the steps in SAA using the Big Book . Who would like to volunteer? (This position may be taken by the same woman who leads the Big Book study if another volunteer is not available, although rotating and shared service is preferred if possible). You can find the opening and closing online at www.saatalk.org .
We also need a Trusted Servant to lead the Big Book study section of the meeting for the next month. Suggested guidelines for this service are completion of the 12 steps in SAA using the Big Book and having taken at least one sponsee through the SAA twelve steps using the Big Book. Suggested sobriety is 90 days. Who would like to volunteer?
(Italicized sections below are only read when the trusted servant is being selected).
This group is a member of the Telemeeting Intergroup. Our Intergroup representative is elected for a one year term in February. (Suggested qualifications for an Intergroup representative are as follows from p. 51 of the Group Guide:
1. At least one year experience in the SAA program.
2. At least six months of continuous sexual sobriety.
3. Experience in service work at the local level.
4. Endorsement of their home group - affirming that the individual has the serenity and wisdom in
the program to serve at the Intergroup level. These will be read prior to selecting the intergroup representative at the February group conscience).
Our current Intergroup representative is ____. (Intergroup meets the first Sunday of each month at 1 pm Pacific. Any interested members are encouraged to attend. The report is usually given during announcements at the first Tuesday morning meeting following the Intergroup meeting each month)
This group will select in February a Delegate to represent the group at the International Service Organization convention in May. (Suggested qualifications for international service from the Group Guide p. 64 are as follows:
1. At least two years of experience in the SAA program.
2. At least one year of continuous sexual sobriety.
3. Demonstrated leadership in service work at the local level.
4. Endorsement of their home group - affirming their belief that the individual has the serenity
and wisdom in the program to serve at the international level.
These will be read prior to selection of the delegate at the February Group Conscience
meeting).
Group contacts will be selected yearly in February at the time of re-registration. The outgoing Secretary will re-register the meeting in February. (Suggested qualifications will be the same as those for the trusted servant leading the Big Book study portion).
Is there any other New business? (pause for new business)
(Should a meeting format change occur, outgoing trusted servant please update this format with those changes and email the new document to website@saatalk.org )
Please help me close this meeting with the Serenity Prayer.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
It’s now time for fellowship, and this is a great time to ask questions, feel free to leave at any time. Are there any newcomers with questions?