Singleness of Purpose and Tradition 10

Thought for today: The fellowship of DA avoids distractions from its primary purpose of helping the suffering debtor get and stay solvent.  Our common welfare comes first because our very solvency depends on working together. For example, we avoid political arguments and religious practices because they could divide us and our common welfare comes first.  Financial contributions are […]

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Taking Time To Process Life Using the Traditions of DA

Thought for today: Life is often chaotic.  We can suddenly discover that the people around us have changed and seem distant. The trajectory of life isn’t neat.  Sometimes it’s not time for the thing we want to happen.  Chaos happens instead.  Sometimes we need to change plans and manage the chaos around us. If we are willing to let go of who […]

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From Self-Centered In The Extreme to Serving DA (Tradition Nine)

Thought for today: Debtors Anonymous doesn’t manage its members. They wouldn’t stand for it!  Our committee positions are simply responsible to members. Members volunteer as Intergroup Representative or General Service Office Representative.  They attend special area meetings and reporting back to groups.  They turn over the job so another member can fulfill the job. Working with its Board of Trustees (as outlined […]

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“Service”, the Spirit of Tradition Eight

Thought for today: DA helps compulsive debtors get better.  It does this when members help other members. DA also has service workers, who take care of administrative and legal requirements of operating a Non-Profit Organization. A member shares: “In DA, we have a clear division of labor.  Members share their experience, strength and hope.  We share our numbers with our Pressure […]

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Tradition Seven: Self Supporting

Thought for today: Twelve Step groups are totally self-supporting.  No outside donations accepted.  What other organization does this?  (That’s a rhetorical question, of course, because there is none.) This policy flies in the face of the recovering debtor’s subconscious hope that ‘someone will take care of us before we get into real trouble’. A member shares: “D.A. declines […]

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April 1 – How Tradition Five Ensures Long Term Solvency

Thought for today: DA helps people get solvent.  We naturally want to champion it to anyone who needs a way out debilitating debt. The primary purpose of our groups is to carry this message of solvency to compulsive debtors. We do this for several reasons… First, we share because our own solvency gets stronger from […]

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March 27, How Tradition Four Keeps the Group Responsible to the Fellowship of DA

Thought for today: Some DA groups have a monthly Vision’s meeting.  Some groups emphasize regular PRGs, still others the steps or service.  Through trial and error, groups come up with what works for their members. The Traditions exist because groups need guidelines in order to avoid selfishness.  Just as individuals need to guard against character […]

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March 23, Tradition Two: The Ultimate Authority in a DA Group

Thought for today: A member shares: “I’m in a small group, and it always felt like a few people ran the group.  It’s like the 80/20 rule when it comes to service: 20% of the members do 80% of the service work. “Reading the Traditions, I’ve learned that it’s important courage everyone to participate as much […]

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Our Common Welfare, the Reason for Tradition One.

In DA we all come from different backgrounds and professions, but we focus on our common problem of debting, overspending and under earning. Our disease is no respecter of persons, and neither is our recovery. It is fitting that our first Tradition makes it clear we must “hang together or hang separately”, so to speak. […]

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Tradition Twelve – The Spiritual Foundation of Anonymity.

DA is better off when it’s members don’t identify themselves as members in the media. Members are better, off too, when they participate anonymously as far as the media is concerned. If one member went public with their membership and later became embroiled in a public financial conflict, it could reflect negatively on DA. But when we […]

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