SECRETARY: “Welcome to the __________ SLAA/HOW Steps meeting. My name is ___________ and I am a sex and love addict and the Secretary of this meeting. I will now hand the meeting over to ________ to chair today’s meeting.”
Chairperson: “My name is……………….. I am a sex and love addict and the chairperson for this meeting. Would you please join me in 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
“Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a Twelve Step, Tradition-oriented fellowship based on the model pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous. The only requirement for S.L.A.A. membership is a desire to stop living out a pattern of sex and love addiction. S.L.A.A. is supported entirely through the contributions of its membership, and is free to all who need it. To counter the destructive consequences of sex and love addiction we draw on five major resources:
- Sobriety. Our willingness to stop acting out in our own personal bottom-line addictive behavior on a daily basis.
- Sponsorship / Meetings. Our capacity to reach out for the supportive fellowship within S.L.A.A.
- Steps. Our practice of the Twelve Step program of recovery to achieve sexual and emotional sobriety.
- Service. Our giving back to the S.L.A.A. community what we continue to freely receive.
- Spirituality. Our developing a relationship with a Power greater than ourselves which can guide and sustain us in recovery.
“As a fellowship S.L.A.A. has no opinion on outside issues and seeks no controversy. S.L.A.A. is not affiliated with any other organisations, movements or causes, either religious or secular. Our primary purpose is to abstain from sex and love addiction and to carry the message of recovery to those who still suffer. We find a common denominator in our obsessive/compulsive patterns, that renders personal differences of sexual or gender orientation irrelevant. We need protect with care the anonymity of every SLAA member. Additionally, we try to avoid drawing undue attention to SLAA as a whole from the public media.
“Is there anyone here for the first time? Please give us your first name so we may get know you.”
“At this point of the meeting we ask the group to join us as we celebrate another example of the miracles that abound in SLAA. This portion of the meeting is known as “Stepping Up”. The sponsor is asked to introduce a newcomer who has 30 days of continuous back-to-back abstinence, has taken the first three steps and is now ready to become a sponsor. Sponsor and sponsee share for two minutes each. Are there any new sponsors?”
“Is there anyone celebrating their first 60 days? … 90 days? … 6 months? … 9months? … 1 year? … longer?”
“Will someone please read ‘How it Works’?”
CHAIRPERSON continues:
“We will now study one of the 12 steps from the Augustine Fellowship basic text. We ask each person to read a paragraph and share from the reading. A share is an experience that has helped us grow and given us a new sense of awareness. Our group conscience decision suggests when asked to share, speakers refrain from reference to non SLAA literature, authors or councillors by name.
“This group requests that only members with at least 14 days of H.O.W. bottom-line sobriety share. Sponsors who have had a slip may share after 7 days of HOW bottom-line sobriety. Speakers will share for three minutes with an additional two minutes to wind-up.
“Today we are on STEP ___.
CHAIRPERSON INVITES SPEAKERS
AT 6:45 THE CHAIRPERSON WILL ASK SOMEONE TO READ “The H.O.W. Concept and Tools”
Chairperson cont…
“We will now continue to share…. We’re on Step ___.”
AT 7:20 THE CHAIRPERSON ASKS…
“Would all sponsors please stand, state the length of your sobriety and to what level you are able to sponsor”…
“That brings us to the close of this ‘steps’ meeting and I will now hand the meeting back to the secretary.”
Secretary:
“Our seventh tradition tells us that we must be self-supporting through our own contributions. The money collected goes to support this meeting and its expenses as well as reaching out to the other meetings, members and levels of the SLAA organisation to help spread the message that is recovery from sex and love addiction. We ask that newcomers refrain from contributing and purchase literature instead.
“Would someone please read the “The Promises”? …
“Could we have a volunteer to speak to the newcomers?
“Are there any service reports? …
“Are there any SLAA related announcements? …
“Can we have a volunteer who has 14 days of continuous H.O.W. defined bottom line sobriety and who has been stepped up to chair our next meeting? …
“The requirements of the SLAA/HOW concept are what this particular group has found to be effective in working this program and do not represent SLAA as a whole. The opinions expressed here today by those who shared are their own and not necessarily those of SLAA as a whole. Please remember our cherished tradition: “Whom you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.”
After a moment of quiet meditation, for those who wish to, please join (chairperson) in the Third Step Prayer. “
MEETING ENDS AT 7:30pm