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Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (S.L.A.A.)

Fellowship-Wide Services (F.W.S.)

Should We Mention Other Addictions in Meetings?

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The comments below were given by various members of the Conference Steps, Traditions, and Concepts Committee and do not represent a group conscience of the entire committee. The opinions expressed here are solely that of the person giving them. Take what you like and leave the rest.

The Question

What Tradition may help me interpret, understand or support needing to understand how to integrate sharing how various co-existing issues/addictions affect my as a whole? For example, my drug and alcohol illness and recovery affects my love and sexual anorexia and recovery. I know the Traditions make reference to “” and our “primary purpose.” When I am honest about the how, what, where and why of my recovery, is it safe to share my thoughts about these other issues? What are your Thoughts on how the Traditions apply here?

Response #1

The Traditions which come to mind are Tradition 4 “Each group should be autonomous…” and Tradition 5 “Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry its to the sex and love addict who still suffers.” This is a question as to local custom or acceptability of sharing about other addictions within the meeting. In some this is acceptable, but in others it is frowned upon. There are instances when the addictions are so intertwined as to make it difficult to separate the addictive actions of one addiction from those of other addictions. Most likely there is a core addiction which brought about the other addictions' which were used to numb or medicate feelings. My personal view on this is that when this is the case, other addictions and their relationship to sex and love addictions could be brought out to help others to better understand the interconnection of these various addictions. This certainly is an opportunity to carry the message since others may be struggling with these various issues.

Response #2

I think the Tradition that addresses this question is endorsing outside issues. I think that it is OK to mention other 12 Step Recovery in one's own share but it is not appropriate for S.L.A.A. as a whole to endorse or condemn any other entity. Certainly any group can set the rule that other addictions cannot be mentioned, but that cannot be S.L.A.A.'s stance according to Traditions 4 and 10. Personally, I agree that all my addictions are intertwined.

Response #3

Over the years I have let Tradition 5 guide me more and more. (Tradition 5; Each group has but one primary purpose – to carry the message to the sex and love addict who still suffers.) With that in mind, I consider the newcomer in the room. I want to make sure that what I share carries the message of S.L.A.A. first and foremost. I, like many others, have addictions in many other areas and I may mention them casually in my shares, but I try to keep in mind that if I talk about AA, Al-anon or DA (the list goes on) extensively this just muddies the water for the newcomer or relatively newcomer who is trying to figure out our program. This is not to say that I ignore those other issues. As a wise person once told me, “take the message to the meetings and the mess to your sponsor.” I have sponsors or other program friends in other 12 Step meetings that I can talk to, but when I'm in a meeting of sex and love addicts, I try to stick to the message of sex and love addiction…for myself and for the .

Response #4

S.LA.A. is a fellowship that evolved from the principles and traditions of AA. The within the rooms of other fellowships may seem less apparent than what I find in the rooms of S.L.A.A. It makes sense that other 12 step programs are mentioned more in our rooms than, perhaps, other fellowships because of our individual definition of . I think in order for each one of us to come out of isolation and our aloneness, we need to be able to share our experience, strength and hope from our highest level of integrities. That may mean mentioning recovery in other fellowships and it may mean speaking facts about other fellowships not exactly fitting our needs. One stark difference about our rooms is that members need to feel safe in the same way that our S.L.A.A. text book shares experience, strength and hope of the founder of our program; it seems that discipline used in the book to not be graphic. So I say anything should go as far as members feeling comfortable articulating the tools, programs and techniques they are using to move forward with living a recovered life. But maybe we could suggest that our meeting format encourage members to limit the background/history/graphic information associated with the support they are receiving outside our fellowship. And maybe could suggest that our meeting format articulate not promoting any other enterprises including other 12 Step fellowships since it breaches our Tradition of not promotion.

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The CSTCC is a group of volunteers, some of whom were ABM delegates, and others who volunteered out of interest. We do not represent a group conscience of S.L.A.A., but are committed to bringing thoughtful discussion and study of 12 Step Fellowship literature and experience to the questions that are brought to us. We offer this summary as the results of our discussions. We present the major points of concern in the hopes that wider discussion in the Fellowship will help us evolve our customs and practice of the S.L.A.A. program of recovery to better represent the loving guidance of a Higher Power. Always, we affirm the autonomy of each group and the need for each individual to follow her/his own conscience. No decision of this group, or any other, is ever forced upon another, even when we believe a practice is clearly in conflict with the Steps, Traditions, or Concepts.