SAA FACT FILE

Prepared by the

General Outreach Committee

of the

Board of Trustees

of the

International Service Organization

of SAA, Inc.

This document is also on the ISO of SAA Website:

P.O. Box 70949, Houston, TX 77270

800-477-8191

713-869-4902

Some Information About SAA

This file has been prepared to help provide basic information on the SAA Fellowship. Its contents are suitable for filing and ready reference.

"We are sex addicts. Our addiction nearly destroyed our lives, but we found freedom through the recovery program of Sex Addicts Anonymous. In the fellowship of SAA, we discovered that we are not alone and that meeting regularly together to share experience, strength, and hope gives us the choice to live a new life."

[1st paragraph of page 1]

“Long-term abstinence is possible through the SAA program. Through the grace of God, we can find freedom from addictive sexual behavior.

We don’t just act out less frequently or stop the worst behaviors while continuing with others. We are abstinent from all of our inner-circle behaviors, one day at a time, over months, years, and decades. Many of us live this miracle every day, and it is possible for us all.”

[1st paragraph of page 66]

[Once this item is LitCom approved it will read:]

This is ISO Literature Committee

Approved literature.

P.O. Box 70949

Houston, TX 77270

Copyright 2008

International Service Organization of SAA, Inc.

SEX ADDICTS ANONYMOUS is a registered trademark ®

Of the International Service Organization of SAA, Inc.

Table of Contents

4 Defining “Sex Addicts Anonymous”

5 Membership

6 SAA Meetings

7 Our Program: The Twelve Steps of SAA

9 SAA Traditions

10What is the ISO?

12SAA and Sex Addiction Treatment

13Public Relations

14Anonymity Statement

15Financial Policy

16A Brief History of SAA

17SAA Literature—Literatura de SAA

[All page number citations are from the fellowship basic text Sex Addicts Anonymous,

First edition, copyright 2005]

Defining “Sex Addicts Anonymous”

The following self-definition statement was approved by the Literature Committee, May 27, 1999.

“Sex Addicts Anonymous is a twelve-step program of recovery based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous. Our primary purpose is to stop our addictive sexual behavior and to help others recover from their sexual addiction. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior. Our fellowship is open to women and men regardless of religion, race, ethnic background, marital status, sexual orientation, or profession. Our members define their own sexual boundaries with the guidance of their sponsors and other group members. We encourage our members to discover and explore what healthy sexuality means to them.”

Membership

By virtue of its principle of anonymity, SAA does not keep membership lists, and records of numbers of members are not maintained. And while the international office of the ISO does maintain a registry of meetings, autonomous SAA groups register only on a voluntary basis. Some groups choose not to register.

Below are the numbers of currently ISO registered groups as of August 11, 2007:

Total Registered Groups735

Some of these include:

Groups in the United States639

Groups in Canada34

Groups in the United Kingdom16

Groups in Central and South America14

Groups in Other Locations7

Telemeetings 20

(meetings held by teleconference)

At the time this document was published, there were registered meetings in 47 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and in Argentina, Australia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Latvia, Mexico, Okinawa, South Africa, Spain, and United Kingdom.

SAA Meetings

“An SAA group consists of two or more individuals who, using the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of SAA, meet regularly for the purpose of recovering from their addictive sexual behavior. At our meetings, we read SAA literature and share our experience, strength and hope with each other, focusing on how the SAA program of recovery works in our lives.

“SAA meetings are run by members. There are no professional or outside facilitators. We meet as equals: sex addicts helping one another to achieve sexual sobriety and to practice a new way of life. We all contribute to making our meetings places that foster our recovery and carry the SAA message to the sex addict who still suffers. Our fellow members depend upon us, as we depend on them.

“Because of the sensitive nature of sexual addiction, many of our groups are “closed,” meaning that only those with a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior may attend. Anyone else interested in finding out about SAA may attend “open” meetings. While we all strive for sexual sobriety, its achievement is not a requirement for attendance or participation. All participation is voluntary. We are not required to speak if we don’t want to. Just by listening we can learn how other members become honest, confront their addiction, find support from fellow addicts, and practice the program. We can learn how others have faced problems that are similar to ours, and how they have used the tools of the program to deal with them. Members can have any religious belief, or no belief at all. All sex addicts seeking recovery are welcome.”

[last paragraph on page 10 to 2nd full paragraph on page 11]

For more information on SAA Meetings, including which meetings are open and closed please contact the International Service Organization office by calling 800-477-8191 or writing to .

Our Program:

The Twelve Steps of SAA

“Attending SAA meetings starts us on a new way of life. But while the SAA fellowship supports our recovery, the actual work of recovery is described in the Twelve Steps. Meetings are forums for learning how to integrate the steps into our lives. Working the Twelve Steps leads to a spiritual transformation that results in sustainable relief from our

addiction.

“When we start attending meetings of Sex Addicts Anonymous, many of us are surprised to meet people who are enjoying life, experiencing freedom from the painful, compulsive behaviors that had brought them to SAA. Listening to other members share about their recovery, we gradually realize that in order to make the same kind of progress, we need to be willing to do whatever it takes to get sexually abstinent, and to stay abstinent. We have learned from hard experience that we cannot achieve and maintain abstinence if we aren’t willing to change our way of life. But if we can honestly face our problems, and are willing to change, the Twelve Steps of SAA will lead to an awakening that allows us to live a new way of life according to spiritual principles. Taking these steps allows fundamental change to occur and be sustained in our lives. They are the foundation of our recovery.

The Twelve Steps of Sex Addicts Anonymous*

1. We admitted we were powerless over addictive sexual behavior - that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other sex addicts and to practice these principles in our lives.

“These steps are the heart of our program. They contain a depth that we could hardly have guessed when we started. As we work them, we experience a spiritual transformation. Over time, we establish a relationship with a Power greater than ourselves, each of us coming to an understanding of a Higher Power that is personal for us. Although the steps use the word “God” to indicate this Power, SAA is not affiliated with any religion, creed, or dogma. The program offers a spiritual solution to our addiction, without requiring adherence to any specific set of beliefs or practices. The path is wide enough for everyone who wishes to walk it.”

[pages 20-21]

"Although we are not affiliated with AA or any other organization, we are deeply grateful to AA for making our recovery possible."

[SAA green book, p. 1, paragraph 4]

*The Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. Permission to reprint and adapt the Twelve Steps does not mean that A.A. is in any way affiliated with this program. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism – use of the Twelve Steps in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, does not imply otherwise.

SAA Traditions

“At every level of our service structure, we are guided by the Twelve Traditions of SAA, as adapted from the Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. Just as the Steps teach us the spiritual principles necessary for healthy individual recovery, the Traditions embody the spiritual principles necessary for the healthy functioning of our groups. Adhering to these principles safeguards our fellowship, thus protecting the recovery of each individual member. We have found that they also help us to act with integrity in our personal relationships and as responsible members of society.

The Twelve Traditions of Sex Addicts Anonymous

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal recovery depends upon S.A.A. unity.

2. For our group purpose there is but one ultimate authority—a loving God as expressed in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.

3. The only requirement for S.A.A. membership is a desire to stop addictive sexual behavior.

4. Each group should be autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or S.A.A. as a whole.

5. Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the sex addict who still suffers.

6. An S.A.A. group ought never endorse, finance, or lend the S.A.A. name to any related facility or outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property, and prestige divert us from our primary purpose.

7. Every S.A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.

8. S.A.A. should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.

9. S.A.A., as such, ought never be organized, but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.

10. S.A.A. has no opinion on outside issues; hence the S.A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy.

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV, and films.

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.

[pages 76 & 77]

What is the ISO?

The ISO is short for International Service Organization of SAA, Inc., and it is the service organization of the SAA fellowship.

The Relationship between the SAA Fellowship and the ISO

It is helpful to understand the relationship between the ISO and the SAA fellowship. They are not one and the same. The SAA fellowship is made up of men and women who follow the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of SAA as a way to recover from addictive sexual behavior. These men and women support each other and receive support by attending SAA meetings. Each of these meetings is autonomous except in things that affect other meetings or SAA as a whole. The meetings and the SAA fellowship are not legal entities. In addition, because they are diverse in makeup, size, and location, it is difficult for them to coordinate fellowship-wide activities.

The ISO, on the other hand, is a legal entity. It is a non-profit corporation formed under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code. It is able to conduct business on behalf of the SAA fellowship, and, with the financial support of SAA members and groups, it is able to provide services to the fellowship and coordinate activities for the fellowship.

The ISO Serves

Two of the main services provided by the ISO are communication and outreach. All of the following efforts come under these headings:

  • The ISO publishes a bimonthly newsletter, The Outer Circle (TOC).
  • The ISO maintains a toll free phone line and a central e-mail address for members and groups.
  • The ISO maintains a database that lists all registered SAA meetings.
  • Through its website the ISO also communicates news about SAA events and items of interest to members, those seeking help, and even casual visitors.
  • The ISO also operates a number of secure websites, to provide sensitive information to members only.
  • The ISO provides a central information source for those seeking help and for members who are traveling or relocating.
  • The ISO Office answers letters from inmates and sends them free literature.
  • ISO staff members coach and provide literature to members in isolated areas who are trying to start new SAA meetings.

The ISO Coordinates

  • The ISO coordinates the annual convention, which serves as both the location of the yearly business meeting and a forum for speakers and workshops.
  • The ISO coordinates and pays the costs of major projects.
  • The ISO Board continues to work toward establishing fellowship-wide bulletin boards.
  • The ISO coordinates Prison Outreach and provides links to regional coordinators, who spearhead efforts to find SAA members to correspond with recovering inmates.
  • The ISO Literature Committee works with members who submit manuscripts for SAA approval.
  • The ISO strives to develop and maintain policies and procedures.
  • The ISO coordinates requests from local media with local SAA groups.

The ISO Conducts the Business of SAA

  • As a non-profit corporation, the ISO must take care to comply with all laws and regulations that govern it.
  • The ISO is responsible not only for registering SAA trademarks and copyrights but also for aggressively protecting them from unauthorized use.
  • The ISO accounts for SAA resources. This means money, assets, and workforce.

In Summary

Without the ISO, SAA groups and intergroups would not only be autonomous, they would be isolated and fragmented. Communicating and coordinating within such a diverse and far flung membership as SAA’s presents a challenge. Without the ISO, the challenge could not be met.

SAA and Sex Addiction Treatment

"In carrying our message of recovery, we often come in contact with other organizations. Part of our outreach efforts may involve cooperation with health care facilities, public agencies, treatment centers for addiction, or other groups and institutions. Such cooperation can play a vital role in making the SAA program available to sex addicts seeking help, but if we become too closely identified with other organizations, our ability to carry the SAA message can be seriously damaged."

[1st paragraph of page 86]

“As members of SAA, we share a common problem and a common solution. We are all sex addicts who desire to stop addictive sexual behavior. We all know from experience what it was like to suffer from sex addiction, and what challenges we face in recovery. With other sex addicts like ourselves, we experience a level of honesty and understanding that we are rarely able to reach with those who are not sex addicts. However concerned and well-intentioned those outside SAA may be, the kind of help they can offer is different from the help we receive from one another in SAA. In carrying the message of recovery, we gratefully give what was so freely given to us.

“There can be no price tag on such a gift. SAA rests on the solid foundation of sex addicts helping other sex addicts, with no fees or professional qualifications. If SAA were to offer professional help, the essential nature of our meetings and our program would be altered beyond recognition. We would be divided into two groups: those who offer professional help, and those who receive the help, with the first group having an inevitably higher status than the other. If we charged a fee, only sex addicts who could afford the fee would be able to attend meetings. Our primary purpose could be compromised by budgetary and political considerations. To avoid these pitfalls, and continue to carry our message with no strings attached, SAA should remain forever nonprofessional.”

[first two paragraphs on page 89]

Public Relations

Tradition Eleven

“Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion;