From the Editor…
Tradition Five states that: Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the sex addict who still suffers.
If the “group” identifies itself as an SAA group, the message that it carries should be the SAA message: that freedom from addictive sexual behavior is possible through the Twelve Steps of SAA.
While I do not take advantage of attending meetings other than my home meeting as often as I would like, I do get to several other meetings a year.
I have noticed that for the new-comer at some of these meetings it might be hard to discern exactly what the SAA message is.
Even though SAA has had our own basic text, Sex Addicts Anonymous, since 2005, many groups have not updated their statement of “How It Works”. They are still using the text from AA’s basic text, Alcoholics Anonymous.
At least one group I visited reads the Twelve Steps as they are listed in the book, Hope and Recovery. The official wording of the Twelve Steps of SAA is slightly different (see pp. 20 & 21 of our basic text).
At one meeting, the literature on the table included an AA Big Book and an NA book, but not a single piece of SAA literature.
Even the names of some groups could be confusing to someone new to SAA recovery.
Tradition Four states: Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or S.A.A. as a whole.
When I reflect upon Traditions Four and Five as they relate to my observations of current SAA group practices two questions come to my mind:
- Do some of these practices dilute the SAA message and thereby our ability to attract suffering addicts to our program?
- If we are not clearly and consistently carrying the SAA message, whose message are we carrying?
Peace
Mike C.
Tags: carrying the message