Dallas Primary Purpose Group of SAA Script

(please choose a member who is knowledgeable of the Traditions before the meeting begins to read and comment on this weeks Tradition at the appropriate time.)

Welcome to this meeting of the Primary Purpose Group of SAA, Dallas. Would everyone please silence your electronic devices at this time. (Wait a moment of two for everyone to finish silencing their phones) Now let’s take a moment of silence to meditate and invite God to our meeting. We’ll follow that with the Serenity Prayer.

To paraphrase the foreword of the First Edition of the Big Book:

WE OF Sex Addicts Anonymous are more that 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 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.

At this time we’d like to welcome any newcomers and visitors. If this is your first time to this meeting, we would like to take an opportunity to acknowledge you and welcome you.

In order to honor the 10th Tradition, our Group Conscience has elected to use the Big Book of A.A. as its basic text, in order to filter outside issues. The history of 12 Step fellowships has proven it to be the most successful approach to the Steps no matter what the addictive problem may be. It is the purest 12 Step document in existence, because it was the first instruction manual for working the Steps and has not been changed since it was written in 1939. Since none of us is working a perfect program, we will study this text to better understand the precise instructions it contains. During the meeting, let’s avoid talking about our opinions, thoughts, theories, ideas and personal anecdotes and personal histories since these too are outside issues. If you have worked the Steps for sex addiction with a sponsor by the instructions in the Big Book and had the promised spiritual awakening, then we would really like to hear your insights into these directions. If you are new to S.A.A., new to this meeting or new to this approach to the Twelve Steps, then we hope you will hear something that will be helpful.
If you have questions, if you need a sponsor, if you need to check in or get current or if you want to discuss other literature, please stick around after the meeting and one of us would be happy to help you. We also meet for fellowship before the meeting at Panera Bread on the southwest corner of Preston and Forest. Either of these would be a better time for these outside issues and will allow us to stay focused on our Primary Purpose. Does everyone have a Big Book? (Take a look around to make sure everyone has a book)

My name is ________, I am a sex addict and my sobriety date is ___________. I will be the facilitator tonight. We will be using the Big Book Study Guide prepared by members of Dallas’ Primary Purpose Group of A.A. and adapted to sex addiction by members of this group. In this guide there questions for almost every sentence in the Big Book. I will read a question and call upon a member to read the sentence out of the Big Book which is designed to be the answer. Don’t be embarrassed if you get lost or don’t understand the format. Just say “pass” and we’ll call on you the next time around.

Before we begin our study we are going to review a Tradition. This weeks Tradition is ___ and I’ve asked ______ to read the long form followed by the short form and make comments.

If you are new to our group, if you have not attended a foundation meeting or you, as a veteran 12 Stepper, wish to improve on your own presentation of the first 3 Steps, we encourage you to attend this presentation. It is a great introduction to what the SAA Program and our group is all about: Freedom from our obsession with addictive selfish sexual behavior through the application and practice of our 12 steps as they were given us. Please raise your hand if you would like to attend a foundation meeting tonight. (If there is someone who wants to attend, select a veteran member to lead the foundation meeting)

We will begin our study on page ___

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 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 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.”

(DO NOT PASS THE BASKET YET!!)
Our 7th Tradition states that every group ought to be fully self supporting declining outside contributions. S.A.A. meetings around the world pass the basket at this time to accept the voluntary contributions of its members. If this is your first meeting, then please be our guest. (You may NOW pass the basket)

Primary Purpose Group of S.A.A. is on the chip system. We hand out chips to celebrate significant milestones in the pursuit of sobriety. We have chosen to celebrate increments of 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and annual birthdays. Is there anyone here celebrating one of these milestones? (Pause)

As S.A.A. members the most important symbol of our willingness is a desire chip. A desire chip signifies our desire to stop our addictive sexual behaviors for good and for all, though we stay sober just one day at a time. Is there anyone here that would like to begin their journey to sobriety tonight?

Our group conscience believes that the best place to check-in or get current is with a sponsor. After all, this is where real recovery takes place: in working the Steps with a sponsor. If your sponsor is unavailable and you need a temporary sponsor, if you don’t have a sponsor or if you are looking to change sponsors, we believe we can help. Will those of you who have taken these steps by the directions in the Big Book and had a spiritual awakening please stand so that those looking for help will know to whom they can entrust their lives?

Are there any S.A.A. related announcements? (Pause)
Are any prayer requests? (Pause)

Now let’s have a moment of silence for these and the addict who still suffers followed by the Lord’s Prayer.
(the following is only for group conscience meetings held on the last Sunday of the month)
Group Conscience
It is now time for the Group Conscience meeting which will be followed by fellowship. If you are new, please stick around, we? We’d love to talk to you.
(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.) AGENDA
Welcome to the Sunday Morning 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 [SAA]s believe, the best answers that our experience has yet given to those ever-urgent questions, `How can [SAA] best function?’ and `How can [SAA] best stay whole and survive?’ ”
Would someone please read The Twelve Traditions, the short form, p. 562 in the 4th Ed. of the AA Big Book? (p. 564 in the 3rd Ed)
Will the Secretary please read the minutes from last month’s group conscience meeting?
In keeping with our traditions, do we have any old business to discuss? (start with any old business from minutes read then ask for any additional old business, if none, move on)
Do we have any old business to discuss?
In keeping with our traditions, this group rotates service positions.
We need a Trusted Servant to lead our Big Book study for the next quarter. Suggested guidelines for this service are completion of the 12 steps in SAA using the Big Book and is currently sponsoring someone by taking them through the SAA twelve steps using the Big Book. Suggested sobriety is 90 days. Are there any nominations?
(At the February group conscience we elect a new Intergroup representative)
This group is a member of the Dallas SAA 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 current 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 __________. May we hear the Intergroup report for this month?
Is there any other New business? (pause for new business)

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.