the Journal #146 | Page 4

First Things First

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous Preamble

Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous is a Twelve Step, Twelve Tradition-oriented fellowship based on the model pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous.

The only qualification for S.L.A.A. membership is a desire to stop living out a pattern of sex and love addiction. S.L.A.A. is supported entirely through contributions of its membership, and is free to all who need it.

To counter the destructive consequences of sex and love addiction we draw on five major resources:

1. Sobriety. Our willingness to stop acting out in our own personal bottom-line addictive behavior on a daily basis.

2. Sponsorship/Meetings. Our capacity to reach out for the supportive fellowship within S.L.A.A.

3. Steps. Our practice of the Twelve Step program of recovery to achieve sexual and emotional sobriety.

4. Service. Our giving back to the S.L.A.A. community what we continue to freely receive.

5. Spirituality. Our developing a relationship with a Power greater than ourselves, which can guide and sustain us in recovery.

As a fellowship S.L.A.A. has no opinion on outside issues and seeks no controversy. S.L.A.A. is not affiliated with any other organizations, movements, or causes, either religious or secular.

We are, however, united in a common focus: dealing with our addictive sexual and emotional behavior. We find a common denominator in our obsessive/compulsive patterns, which transcends any personal differences of sexual orientation or gender identity.

We need protect with special care the anonymity of every S.L.A.A. member. Additionally we try to avoid drawing undue attention to S.L.A.A. as a whole from the public media.

©1985, 2003, 2012 The Augustine Fellowship, S.L.A.A., Fellowship-Wide Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

the Journal, Issue #146

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1. We seek to develop a daily relationship with a Higher Power,

knowing that we are not alone in our efforts to heal ourselves from our addiction.

2. We are willing to be vulnerable because the capacity to trust has been restored to us by our faith in a Higher Power.

3. We surrender, one day at a time, our whole life strategy of, and our obsession with the pursuit of romantic and sexual intrigue and emotional dependency.

4. We learn to avoid situations that may put us at risk physically, morally, psychologically or spiritually.

5. We learn to accept and love ourselves, to take responsibility for our own lives, and to take care of our own needs before involving ourselves with others.

6. We become willing to ask for help, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and learning to trust and accept others.

7. We allow ourselves to work through the pain of our low selfesteem and our fears of abandonment and responsibility. We learn to feel comfortable in solitude.

8. We begin to accept our imperfections and mistakes as part of being human, healing our shame and perfectionism while working on our character defects.

9. We begin to substitute honesty for self-destructive ways of expressing emotions and feelings.

10.We become honest in expressing who we are, developing true intimacy in our relationships with ourselves and others.

11.We learn to value sex as a by-product of sharing, commitment, trust and cooperation in a partnership.

12.We are restored to sanity, on a daily basis, by participating in the process of recovery.

S.L.A.A. Signs of Recovery

© 1990 The Augustine Fellowship, Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous, Fellowship-Wide Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved