Our experience has taught us that . . .
SUGGESTIONS FOR STARTING A DAA MEETING
- Find a meeting venue (example: church, alano clubhouse, community center, etc.)
- Pick a meeting format (example: big book study, topic meeting, speaker meeting, etc.)
- Write meeting format script
- Establish home group meeting members Secretary, Treasurer, General Service Rep)
- Register new meeting (Click Here to Register New Meeting)
Please contact us so we can support your efforts, and once you are established we can add you to our Find A Meeting page. Email: daa.usa@gmail.com
“… it became customary to set apart one night a week for a meeting to be attended by anyone or everyone interested in a spiritual way of life. Aside from fellowship and sociability the prime objective was to provide a time and place where new people might … come away with an answer.” Big Book A Vision For You pg. 159
Suggested Literature:
Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book available online, nearest bookstore, or local AA Intergroup office.
We are happy to hear of your interest in starting a new DAA meeting. Currently, all of the information about DAA including how to start a meeting can be found on our website. All it takes are 2 or more addicts, a Big Book, and coffee to have a meeting. Literature and key tags may be ordered from the site once you get established.
We model meeting formats after other 12 step groups attended by our membership. We take what works for those meetings and see if it works for our group. Don’t be afraid to start off small. As in the steps, it’s progress, not perfection! Also, do not be afraid to make mistakes – you can always change something as long as it is guided through prayerful consideration of your group conscience and in line with the 12 Traditions. Keep focused on our primary purpose of helping the newcomer recover from addiction and you can’t go wrong.
In order to find a location, contacting community centers, hospitals, church halls, and business parks have been helpful as space offered tends to be less expensive and public transportation is often nearby. People are often very interested to learn about DAA and what we do, and are often willing to set and negotiate a reasonable rent so that the community can benefit from the meeting. Each group is autonomous, except in matters affecting other groups or DAA as a whole.
Don’t be shy about explaining what DAA and your meeting is about, many people will be encouraged by what you are trying to do. “What is DAA?” leaflets are available to order on our Literature & Key Tags page.
Remember to always maintain friendly relations by being respectful of your renter’s facility … you are the face of DAA.
Once you finalize your location, set the date and time for the regular meeting. Send all this info to DAA USA in the form on this page and we will get it added to the Find A Meeting page. At that point, spread the word and schedule a founders meeting where the group conscience will determine the meeting format. Depending on the size of the group, you can also discuss service positions within the group – keeping the spirit of rotation in mind. Ordering key tags and literature can be done right from the website on our Literature & Key Tags page.
Click Here, to provide new meeting information to DAA USA
SUGGESTED OPENING AND CLOSING
Welcome to the (Insert Name of Group here) of Drug Addicts Anonymous. My name is __________ and I am a recovered addict. Let us open this meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Serenity Prayer.
We of Drug Addicts Anonymous are a fellowship of men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other addicts precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this fellowship.
The only requirement for membership to this group is a desire to stop using all mind-altering substances. There are no dues or fees for membership; we are fully self-supporting through our own contributions. We are not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization, or institution. We do not wish to engage in any controversy and we neither endorse nor oppose any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay clean and help other addicts achieve that same freedom.
Some of you may be looking for a sponsor who shares your problem so if you have been blessed with a spiritual awakening and have the time and willingness to sponsor someone in this group would you please raise your hand so that others may see whom they can entrust their lives to.
Because this is an open meeting all are welcome to attend, however, we ask anyone with a drug problem share his or her experience as it relates to what is being studied in the book. We also ask you to keep your comments brief and solution focused.
Before we start the study of the book, we would like to offer a desire chip. Taking this chip expresses a desire to stop using for good and all and to try our way of life. Are there any takers? We will offer one again at the end of this meeting. We also wish to recognize anyone who has reached a certain milestone in their pursuit of recovery from drugs. Is there anyone celebrating ____ months. Is there anyone celebrating an annual increment of sobriety that would like to be recognized?
For our group’s purpose, we have elected to use the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous to help keep us focused on the solution of the book substituting the words “addict” for “alcoholic” and the words “using” for “drinking”. Personal stories of alcoholics within the book are read as written. The book of Alcoholics Anonymous is the most valuable tool we possess. It contains the precise instructions on how to recover from this deadly disease.
In closing, we would like to take a moment and practice the 7th tradition. While everyone is welcome to study with us – membership to this group is limited to those who have a drug problem.
Would (Group Member Name) please read from the Big Book page 164.
It is the custom of this group to offer the desired tag at the end of each meeting. Taking this tag expresses a desire to stop using for good and all and to try our way of life. Are there any takers?
Take a minute to look at our message board on it you will find our commitment list. Feel free to take one.
Cigarette smokers, thank you for continuing to smoke in the designated area and disposing of your cigarette butts in the ashtrays. We would ask everyone to clean up after themselves and help put this room back together.
Our steering committee meets on ________ . Would those on the steering committee please raise your hands? If you have concerns or ideas on how to make this group more effective, take them to one of these people.
Our birthday night is _____________. If you are planning on celebrating with us, put your name on the birthday list posted on our message board along with your length of clean time and who will be introducing you.
Are there any other brief DAA related announcements?
Thanks for being here, let us put our arms around each other and end with the Lord’s Prayer.
Chapter 7 lays out in masterful detail how to approach a man and his family. This chapter speaks to you, the recovered addict and how, as part of your own recovery, your responsibility is to SEEK out the one who still suffers. Our membership now numbers into the thousands … all because we understand this is life and death for us. Besides, this is how we pay back the one person who took the time to carry this message to us.
Call local hospitals, jails or treatment centers. Tell them you would like to share a solution to drug addiction, a way that has worked for you. Ask if there are any addicts in their facility that you can help. Remember, you are not there to criticize what they do … to be helpful is our only aim.
No one has sunk too low or is too discredited to be welcomed … if they mean business.
WHEN YOU ARE READY TO SUBMIT YOUR MEETING:
Please fill out the form on this page. When we receive your submission, we will do our best to review it and post it in a timely manner. Once it is approved, it will be available for search on our Find a Meeting Page.
We will contact the submitter if we have any questions or concerns. For any other inquires or questions, please contact us at daa.usa@gmail.com.