Guiding Principles

Summary

1. We are a Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) Intergroup whose member groups use the text of Alcoholics Anonymous (the AA Big Book) to work the Twelve Steps of SLAA and to carry the SLAA message of recovery from sex and love addiction.
2. Our groups faithfully follow the Twelve Traditions of SLAA. We also study the long and short forms of the Twelve Traditions of AA from which the SLAA Traditions were adapted, for a deeper understanding of their application.
3. Our published meetings are one of five types, all of which focus on the SLAA message of recovery: Big Book study, Foundation, Step or Tradition study/presentation and Speaker’s story.
4. We keep outside issues like politics, religion, and other approaches to recovery outside of our published meetings.
5. The trusted servants of our groups serve their group conscience. The trusted servants of our Intergroup serve our member groups and their group conscience.

In Full

PPGSLAA is a specialized Intergroup formed to support the work of SLAA Groups

who by their own group conscience have adopted the following attitudes and

principles for studying and using the AA Big Book to carry the SLAA message of

recovery from sex and love addiction.

1. Our member groups study the Big Book of AA to better understand its instructions for working the Twelve Steps of SLAA and achieving recovery from sex and love addiction. Our groups may use a Q&A based study guide or a dictionary (published as close to the 1930’s as possible) to aid in our study of the Big Book. During our meetings, we avoid references to all other literature or materials; we do this to stay focused on the study of the Big Book of AA.
2. Our member groups seek faithfully to follow the Twelve Traditions of SLAA, which are adapted from the “Short Form” of the Twelve Traditions of AA. To better understand the SLAA Traditions, we study AA’s “Long Form” of the Twelve Traditions, upon which the AA “Short Form” was based.
3. The published meetings of our member groups are one of 5 types: Big Book study, Foundation, Step presentation/study, Tradition presentation/study and Speaker Meetings. Foundation Meetings are aimed at orienting newcomers to our groups’ use of the Big Book for working the Twelve Steps. Speaker meetings involve recovered* members who have worked the Steps with a sponsor telling their story of using the Big Book to recover from sex and love addiction. Speaker stories focus on enough of what we were like (experience) that newcomers might identify, enough of what happened (strength) to demonstrate the program, and make special emphasis on what we are like now (hope) to demonstrate that happy, contented sobriety is possible as a result of working all of the Twelve Steps.
4. Our member groups keep outside issues outside of our meetings. During the meetings, we focus on the principles of the program and the instructions found in the text of the Big Book of AA for working the Twelve Steps. All other discussions are held outside of meetings or during fellowship; some matters should be discussed with a sponsor who can provide guidance and accountability. Examples of outside issues include “getting current,” discussions of religion, politics, personal problems, medical or other approaches to recovery, other recovery literature, etc. “Check-ins'', “getting current'', and discussion of personal problems may be appropriate in the period of fellowship after a meeting. However, experience suggests that the better option in some cases is to share these matters privately with someone who has worked the steps and can provide sound guidance based on the principles of the program.
5. The trusted servants of our member groups are responsible for serving the group conscience, rather than any individuals in the meeting. Study Leaders may gently but firmly interrupt a member – experienced or new – if they begin to speak on outside issues or in a manner contrary to the meeting format established by group conscience. Study Leaders should assure such individuals that they are welcome and may encourage them to bring their comments to fellowship at the end of the meeting when other issues may be discussed. Other members of the group may help in such circumstances and may ask the individual to speak outside of the meeting to support the meeting continuing without interruption. The trusted servants of our Intergroup support the work of our member groups; they do not govern. The Intergroup itself is not a governing body for member groups.

*Recovered - "And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone - even alcohol. For by this time sanity will have returned. We will seldom be interested in liquor. If tempted, we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We see that our new attitude toward liquor has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we had been placed in a position of neutrality" Alcoholics Anonymous, 2001, pg. 84-85