Welcome

Each of us in Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous knows the confusion and difficulty of walking into the first few meetings, feeling like a newcomer in new surroundings. Whether we took this courageous step out of pain and hopelessness, sought relief from longing and emptiness, or were directed to attend, we move toward recovery by being here. We hope you will feel free to share with the group why you came to S.L.A.A. You may also want to ask questions of individuals after the meeting.

Among the first questions we faced as we attended meetings were: ‘Am I an addict? Am I a sex and love addict? What is the nature of my addiction?” Please take the time to answer these questions for yourself. For more information, see the pages:

What Is Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous?
Questions Beginners Ask
40 Questions for Self-Diagnosis
Anorexia: Sexual, Social and Emotional

We suggest attending S.L.A.A. meetings as often as you can. Many of us chose to attend several meetings a week, or even daily. We discovered that we were not alone. We found support in the Fellowship, and began to address our patterns of destructive behaviour.

There are different kinds of meetings, and each has its own personality. If you don’t find quite the right meeting the first time, we suggest attending other meetings: “Take what you like and leave the rest.” You will hear a variety of stories from members in recovery from sex and love addiction.

Our common denominator is our obsessive/compulsive behaviour. We have found that recovery works best when we are willing to stop living out a pattern of addiction, even if we have not achieved sobriety yet. Our program stresses acceptance – acceptance of who we are, just as we are, wherever we may be in the recovery process. In these meetings, we listen, and let go of judgment.