Introduction
SAA was founded in 1977 by several men who wanted a greater sense of anonymity than what they perceived in other twelve step programs for sex addicts. SAA is open to anyone who desires greater control over their behavior, and is intended to be safe for people of all sexual orientations.
Some SAA groups screen new members before giving them meetings times or locations. There is a specific questionnaire that can be used to determine if a potential member is likely a sex addict. This questionnaire, with slight modifications so that it could be used experimentally, was able to correctly differentiate self-identified sex addicts and court-determined sex offenders from a control group. When completing the questionnaire males more often perceive themselves as sexually compulsive, but score lower (show less signs of sexual addiction), on average, than females.
In SAA each member creates a unique definition of "sexual sobriety" based on abstaining from a personalized list of compulsive sexual behaviors. Members are encouraged to respect each other's definitions of sobriety. Many SAA members use a "three circle" concept to model their behaviors. The inner circle represents the compulsive sexual behaviors that must not be practiced. Inner circle behaviors might include having sex with a prostitute, or acting out with a nonconsensual victim. The outer circle includes sexual and nonsexual behaviors that are definitely healthy. Outer circle behaviors might include sex with a partner in a monogamous relationship or getting eight hours of sleep a night. In the middle circle are behaviors that are not considered a relapse (inner circle behaviors), but could quickly lead to one if left unchecked. Middle circle behaviors might include looking for a prostitute or contacting an old acting out victim.
In addition to regular meetings SAA also organizes "boundary meetings." These are special meetings for professional caregivers such as medical doctors, psychotherapists, and clergy who need to attend meetings separate from clients, patients, and parishioners.
SAA publishes the book Sex Addicts Anonymous. It is widely used in SAA and has been officially approved as their basic text by the ISO of SAA, Inc Literature Committee. It has not yet gained the approval of the annual conference of group delegates.
Read more about this topic: Sex Addicts Anonymous
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