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Information For and About Women

SAA Women’s Intergroup

More than 50 web pages help you find diversity and inclusion, stories both written and recorded, links to literature, publications and periodicals (like SAA’s bi-monthly The Outer Circle with “Dear Grace” articles), newsletters and blogs, notices of events, links to 49 SAA Intergroups and much more.

Please let all your meetings and members know of this easy-to-navigate, fact-filled website:
https://saaforwomen.org/

We invite you to include a link on your intergroup website for women, in addition to link to the Women’s Outreach page of the ISO; we also invite you to consider sending a representative (or more than one) to our WIG business meetings, on the 4th Thursday of the month. (All genders welcome!)

Thank you for your service to the (woman) sex addict who still suffers,

The SAA Women’s Intergroup [WIG]

SAAwomensIG@gmail.com

Women’s Outreach Subcommittee

Dear fellow SAA members,

Greetings from the Women’s Outreach Committee (WOC)! Please call on us if we may be of service to you in your efforts to carry the message of recovery to the sex addict who still suffers. The mission of the WOC is to carry the message, specifically, to the woman sex addict who still suffers. Here is why we feel that is important.

Some women struggle to feel a sense of hope in a program that currently has, proportionally, a small number of women. They may not see or hear their stories reflected in meetings with mostly, or all, men. They may wish to relate to women only and feel afraid of, triggered by, or angry at, men. Other women prefer to be around men and have strong negative feelings for women. Some have both, or neither! Although many of us on the WOC have had similar feelings, the message we wish to carry to women newcomers is that others have found the miracle of recovery in the fellowship as it currently exists, and they can too.

We keep in mind always that the solution in the SAA program is the same regardless of gender or any other identifying factors: meetings and the suggested Twelve Steps of recovery worked with a sponsor. Even so, to support the woman newcomer in staying with the program, we have developed some special resources for individual members and for groups:

  • Women’s literature:  A Special Welcome to the Women Newcomer and Safe and Sexually Sober Meetings and the Women’s Welcome Packet. We encourage your meeting to keep a supply on hand.
  • Women’s only telemeetings. A full listing can be found on the SAA website under “Electronic Meetings.”
  • Women’s column (“Dear Grace”). This Q&A column, written by WOC members, appears in every issue of The Outer Circle
  • The Women’s Outreach List. This is a list of international women SAA members, who have chosen to share their contact information with each other, to support one another via phone and email. Women can request to join by emailing “Grace” at grace@saa-women.org
  • Women’s page on SAA website. Information about many of these resources can be found at saa-women.org.
  • Women’s Welcome reception and Women’s Room at each annual ISO Convention. An ideal place for women to connect face-to-face with other recovering women SAA members.
  • Women’s Retreat. Under this initiative, the WOC has hosted five annual retreats. This initiative is now sponsored by the Women’s Intergroup (WIG). These retreats are open to all women SAA members.

Please reach out to us if we can support your group, or if you need more information about any of these resources.  We also want to hear from you if you have ideas, suggestions, questions, or issues related to women in the fellowship. You can reach a member of our subcommittee by emailing us at the following email address: womensoutreach@saa-recovery.org

Thank you for your time and attention, and for your dedication to carrying the message of recovery.

Women’s Outreach Committee

Updated May 9, 2021

Ideas for Sober and Welcoming Meetings

Ideas for women-friendly meetings

Women’s Stories in Green Book

  1. A Phone Call Saved Her Life (pg 114)
  2. Her Dreams Are Coming True (pg 129)
  3. A Nun and a Sex Addict (pg 139)
  4. Sexual Anorexic (pg 145)
  5. Living Amends (pg 161)
  6. Many Hurdles to Jump (pg 182)
  7. Staying on the Path (pg 205)
  8. From Insanity to Serenity (pg 215)
  9. A New Journey (pg 236)
  10. Breaking the Silence (pg 244)
  11. Now She Has Hope (pg 263)
  12. Self-Acceptance (pg 274)
  13. It Works if We Work It (pg 294)
  14. The Key to Healing (pg 303)
  15. Dreams Restored (pg 314)

(download this list as an excel file)

“Some Common Misconceptions.”

“Many of us, male, female, or transgender, came into the fellowship with pre-conceived ideas about the nature of our addiction. For example, we may not believe that women can be real sex addicts. We may even encourage them to attend meetings in another Twelve Step Fellowship where they may “be more comfortable,” furthering this mistaken belief. However, we find when we share together at meetings simply as sex addicts that we are more alike than not”.

— from “Safe and Sexually Sober Meetings: Helping Women Feel Welcome in Your Meetings
page 2. © International Service Organization of SAA, 2012

Difference between Women’s Intergroup and Women’s Outreach Committee

Difference between Outreach and Intergroup

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