For Newcomers

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

A Special Welcome to Women

Ideas for Beginning in SAA

The San Francisco Bay Area fellowship of Sex Addicts Anonymous has made it a priority to ensure that women who are interested in our fellowship feel welcome and safe in our meetings. Many women have found serenity and freedom in the rooms of SAA. Please join us.

Local Resources for Women

If you would like to speak to a woman sex addict in the Bay Area about our program, call 510-426-6420. or email women@bayareasaa.org and leave a message stating that you would like to talk with a woman about your situation. A woman from our fellowship will get back to you. We can arrange for a woman to accompany you to a meeting or to give you the code for special women's teleconference meetings.

Other Resources for Women

If you wish to tap into the national network of women via e-mail, visit saa-recovery.org/ForWomen.

A Woman Sex Addict Shares her Experience

I am very grateful to have found SAA and sobriety in 2004 in Miami Beach, Florida. SAA had just started there and meetings were often 2 or 3 people, if that. There were only 2 or 3 meetings a week. The shame I felt at facing my sex addiction was overwhelming. I cried at every meeting (and as a home group friend recently reminded me, all the way through every meeting!) During that first year, I finally learned that I didn't have to act out, and I learned that I had never known that I had that right. As my sobriety took hold, I started to have a sense of personal dignity I had never before experienced.

There were always women at those early meetings, and I was the one who spoke to every woman who called the number on our little website. We learned to be creative, grateful for what we had, and put each other's sobriety first. I got sober in a group of people who had to learn by getting sober together.

When I moved to San Francisco in 2005, the picture was truly different. There are 48 meetings a week here, some with a hundred people, and I am frequently the only woman. I was warmly welcomed and invited to meetings and fellowship everywhere. At the beginning, I pretty much hung out with the gay men until I got to know everyone. Now I have so many friends and I am involved in service and love my SAA life. sobriety, and spiritual growth.

We are working hard to make it easier for women to join the fellowship and stay. The truth is, it's hard for all of us—men and women. It takes such tremendous courage to take that first step, to pick up the phone and call, or to walk in to a meeting. Please know that there are so many of us who have been where you are, and we are all waiting to help you. You don't have to suffer alone any more.

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)

Hybrid Meetings?

Are you holding a successful hybrid meeting (in person and virtual)? If so, Bay Area Intergroup is looking to hear about best practices for this through a panel on how to hold a successful hybrid meeting. Please contact info@bayareasaa.org.

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

Publishing Announcements

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