Frequently Asked Questions

“Our fellowship is open to women and men, regardless of age, race, religion, ethnic background, marital status, or occupation. We welcome members of any sexual identity or orientation, whether they are gay, lesbian, straight, bisexual, or transgender.”

— Sex Addicts Anonymous, p. 1-2

What is sobriety in SAA?

In SAA we use the term abstinence. When we admit that we are powerless over our addictive sexual behavior, we accept that we cannot behave in certain ways. These behaviors are very compelling before we do them, but afterward they leave us feeling shameful, remorseful, empty and craving. We call these behaviors acting out. Abstinence does not mean giving up sex. That is celibacy. We don't give up our healthy sexual expressions; we give up acting-out: compulsive, painful and destructive behaviors.

What if I am attracted to other people at Meetings?

Feelings of attraction are an aspect of being "triggered." If this is the case for you, be gentle with yourself; many of us have experienced it. With the support of your group and your Higher Power you will find that you do not need to act out over this attraction.

Will I be the only woman at the meeting?

If this is your first time at a mixed-gender SAA meeting, you will probably notice immediately, as you look around the room, that you are a minority. You may, in fact, be the only woman in the room. Please be aware that you are in the right place. The fact that there are few other women in the room does not mean that you don't fit in, that you couldn't possibly be a sex addict, or that this program can't work for you. Women are here, just in different rooms. We recommend you obtain all of the literature and read it. You are not alone!

What about Hugs and Physical contact?

You have a right to refuse hugs and to be selective about hugs. It is perfectly all right to accept a hug from one member, shake hands with another and avoid all physical contact with a third. Trust your intuition; you have the right to say no.

Seventh Tradition

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Phone

USA / Canada:
1-800-477-8191
elsewhere:
+1-713-869-4902

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ISO of SAA
PO Box 70949
Houston, TX 77270 USA

Email

info@saa-recovery.org

The 12 Steps

  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.

The 12 Traditions

  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. Sex Addicts Anonymous 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. Sex Addicts Anonymous 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.