For Newcomers

• Welcome
• What is Sex Addiction?
• Am I a Sex Addict?
• For Women
• For GLBTQQI
• Find a Meeting

What is Sex Addiction?

Sex Addiction can involve a wide variety of practices. Sometimes an addict has trouble with just one unwanted behavior, sometimes with many. A large number of sex addicts say their unhealthy use of sex has been a progressive process. It may have started with an addiction to masturbation, pornography (either printed or electronic), or a relationship, but over the years progressed to increasingly dangerous behaviors.

The essence of all addiction is the addicts' experience of powerlessness over a compulsive behavior, resulting in their lives becoming unmanageable. The addict is out of control and experiences tremendous shame, pain and self-loathing. The addict may wish to stop --- yet repeatedly fails to do so. The unmanageability of addicts' lives can be seen in the consequences they suffer: losing relationships, difficulties with work, arrests, financial troubles, a loss of interest in things not sexual, low self-esteem and despair.

Sexual preoccupation takes up tremendous amounts of energy. As this increases for the sex addict, a pattern of behavior (or rituals) follows, which usually leads to acting out (for some it is flirting, searching the net for pornography, or driving to the park.) When the acting out happens, there is a denial of feelings usually followed by despair and shame or a feeling of hopelessness and confusion.

Bay Area Intergroup:

1) Intergroup finances are projected to get pretty tight over next 12 months. It is recommended that meetings donate excess 7th tradition funding with 40% ISO and 60% Intergroup ratio. Write checks to BAISAA inc.

1a) Bay Area Intergroup PayPal E-mail: BAISAApaymentonly@gmail.com

1b) Bay Area Intergroup PO Box 14754, San Francisco, CA 94114

a.    BAISAA web and communications committee members

b.    Workshops committee members/chair person 

c.    Camping and Hiking committee members

d.    Outreach committee members/chair person

Bay Area SAA & COSA Speakers Meeting

Saturday, August 7th at 5:30pm Pacific
SAA Speaker: Jeannie O (Minneapolis), 40 years sober, first woman in SAA
COSA Speaker: TBA
Meeting ID: 837 2934 5573
Phone: 669-900-9128
This is an open meeting for any adults. Speakers will be followed by group sharing. For passcode contact Michael N, Michael N..

Outer Circle

Hayward meeting will be organizing a hike on August 21, 2021 at Lake Chabot, 10 am to 1:30 pm. 17600 Lake Chabot Road in Castro Valley. Open to all SAA members and family and friends. Meet at the Marina near restrooms at 10 am. Ouestions? contact Tim I..

New live meeting in Davis, Calif.

Starts Thursday July 29th, 7:30 to 9 PM.@ Congregation Bet Haverim, 1715 Anderson Rd in the portable classroom. Open; Speaker. Contact davisrecoverysaa@gmail.com.

Serenity on the Sound Retreat

The 32nd Annual Serenity on the Sound Retreat scheduled tentatively for August 27-29 on Zoom. For more information or to help with planning, please contact serenity-on-the-sound@gmail.com or info@soundretreat.org or 425-272-5740.

Share your voice and energy on Inclusion and Diversity committee

o At the international level
o Fourth Saturday at 8am PDT
o Contact Bob L (boblisoboard@gmail.com) and/or Chris (chrisf@saa-iso.net)

o At the local level
o Wednesdays at 6pm
Contact Fiona F twelvestepsrule@gmail.com

SAA Podcasts!

The Sex Addicts Recovery Podcast has officially been launched on all major podcasting platforms. To listen to the podcast or find links to your favorite podcast platform, please visit our landing page at our host site https://sarpod.libsyn.com. For more information, please email: jason@sexaddictsrecoverypod.com

New Orientation Meeting

Open to anyone interested in learning about the SAA program, be it friends, loved ones, or professionals in the field. Saturdays, 11 AM Pacific time.
Open Orientation Meeting
Meeting ID: 853 2316 9584 Pwd: SAAOpen

Considerations in Holding “Hybrid” SAA Group Meetings

SAA Group meetings expect a return next year to joining together at churches, hospitals and other meeting rooms. The availability of COVID-19 vaccines may transform this expectation to a reality. Accordingly, Bay Area Intergroup in line with one of its purposes is sharing the outline below on best practices for Groups currently meeting in a Hybrid format. As a reminder, each Group decides based on its “conscience” how to comply with restrictions imposed by city, county and state public health authorities.
Revised December 14, 2020

1. Definitions
a. Full “Hybrid”    i. Zoom/Skype access info (e.g., meeting ID and password) published on web    ii. More susceptible to bombers
b. Mini “Hybrid”    i. Meeting ID and password NOT published on web    ii. Access provided only by Group Secretary (ies)

2. Face to Face (F2f) protocols
a. Social Distancing
b. Face Coverings
c. Distance maintained even when standing
d. F2f Limits per current public health directives
e. Readings typically made by F2f attendees

3. Virtual protocols
a. Mini “Hybrid” intended for high risk (self-determined individually) addicts who have access to text chains (e.g., emails) within Group
b. Overtalking exists during recitation of prayers (possible solutions include posting prayers using Share Screen (Zoom feature) with moving laser)
c. Respect commensurate with solely F2f meetings
d. Virtual attendees may read if access provided ahead of time
e. Generally, F2f Secretary assisted by online facilitator who keeps online access machine (e.g., laptop, I-pad, I-phone depending on Group resourcefulness technology wise) current to meeting agenda (putting up readings, muting and unmuting, accepting addicts in waiting room)

Publishing Announcements

Call (415) 456-1063 or send email to info@bayareasaa.org to publish fellowship news and announcements here.