Legal Outreach

The following is a sample letter that SCA Los Angeles uses to let the local legal system know about our program.  Please help the addict who still suffers by doing some “Outreach” in your area:

May 2024
To Whom It May Concern:
Sexual Compulsives Anonymous (SCA) is a 12-step program adapted from the 12 Steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). SCA has had a relationship with the court systems in Los Angeles
and Orange Counties since SCA’s founding more than forty-five years ago. Our program and
meetings are like those of AA. We are not professionals or educators. We do not offer classes.
We are an anonymous fellowship comprised of members who volunteer their time as trusted
servants to lead 12-step meetings and perform other service work without compensation to keep
SCA operating.
Our 12-step program of recovery offers an opportunity to change for those who identify as
sexually compulsive, as well as those sent to SCA meetings via the courts. We are not group
therapy nor an organization led by licensed professionals specializing in sexual addiction or
compulsion or trauma from cases of sexual abuse.
The only service we provide to members who have been sent by the courts is attendance
verification. In keeping with our 12 Traditions, which govern the structure of SCA, and in
particular the anonymous nature of our program, SCA does not provide any reporting beyond
attendance verification. For example, we do not provide official letters of progress, participation,
or similar reports. Participation during meetings by all attendees is encouraged. However,
participation can come in many forms. For some, participating means simply attending a
meeting, either in person or via Zoom. For others, it may include sharing, being of service, or
some combination of these items.
Pursuant to our 12 Traditions, each of our meetings is autonomous, deciding whether and how
it provides attendance verification. For our in-person meetings, we generally provide a signature
on a piece of paper, often called a “court card,” with the name and date of the meeting attended.
For our Zoom meetings, we may provide another form of verification, such as an email or
electronic signature on a PDF court card. It is the responsibility of each attendee seeking
verification to track his, her, or their attendance. In furtherance of our principle of anonymity,
we do not maintain membership lists or track attendance for any attendee.
At the end of the day, our hope for those sent by the courts is that they have positive experiences
that free them from sexually compulsive behavior. If you have any questions about an attendee’s
participation or progress, it is best to ask the individuals themselves about what they learned or
gained from attending SCA meetings. We would be disappointed to learn that someone sent to
our meetings was punished because our program, given its nature, does not provide progress
reports or certificates of participation.
If you have any further questions, you can call us at 323-570-2659 or email us at
court@scalosangeles.org.

for pdf version: Court letter 2024

Two or More local or regional SCA meetings can have an Intergroup

Each meeting should elect and send a representative to the regularly scheduled Intergroup meeting  (the third Saturday of each month for the Los Angeles SCA Inergroup). If your meeting does not have a representative, this is a great opportunity to step up and be of service.  Add your voice to the discussion and carry the message back to your individual meetings.  Questions about intergroups can be sent to intergroup@scalosangeles.org

12 Step Weekly Workshops

Through a precise personal application of all Twelve Steps in the textbook Alcoholics Anonymous, attendees will experience the process for radical change in the way they think, feel and behave. Participants will identify their sources of serial suffering and chronic unhappiness. These workshops reveal resources and tools for healing and a life that flourishes. Each person has the opportunity to learn and practice skills which establish and foster a sense of well-being and joy. This 12 Step process promises enlightenment for all who embrace and incorporate this Way of Life.

Commitment:
Pray each day: “Setting Aside” prior knowledge and experience.
Complete the reading assignment each week.
Listen each week to the pre-recorded workshop commentary for each Step.
Write each week for personal reflection, knowledge and deeper experience.
Attend each week to ask questions, discuss assignments and share experiences.
Have an unmarked Big Book, a binder for support material, paper and a pen.

Attendance is free, but registration is required. Access will be provided once you register. For more information: https://herbk.com/bigbook/

Sex Anyone the Musical

        A new musical about sexual compulsion, “Sex Anyone,” will be presented in Los Angeles in a limited engagement the first two weekends in May. It’s about Mike, a sex addict looking for love. He’ll need a miracle to succeed — and he finds one.

The show centers around Sexual Obsessives Anonymous, a fictional 12-Step program. You’ll probably recognize your friends — or yourself — in its meetings. SCA members get a 20% discount using the code SOA20 before May 1. For information go to:  SexAnyoneTheMusical.com

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

WHATSAPP DOC

The WhatsApp SCA Group is over a year old and has over 90 members.  You can easily download WhatsApp on your cell phone.  SCA Speakers will be sharing their experience, strength, using SCA Literature.  There have been some recent changes to our format to include one recorded long share on Wednesdays and readings of the SCA Daily Meditations. Members can now respond via recorded voice or by text.

To join the Saint Louis Whatsapp Group or invite others to join go to:  https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4hvQ5EZYdc0JxfNtO0yc1This is like having a meeting in your pocket that you can take anywhere.  For anyone new to the Fellowship, please go to the SCA Website, sca-recovery.org , to find in-person meetings or more information.

QUESTIONS & THOUGHTS

Question: How can “Dating” be one of the tools of the SCA Program, when most of my slips are from Dating Apps and Websites?

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Please submit your Thoughts, Feelings or Experiences about this question to the e-mail address below. You can also submit a SCA related article, poem, post or etc. to be considered for publication to the same address:

scannereditor@sca-recovery.org

Thoughts:

Since coming to SCA NY in April of 2006 I have seen the numbers of attendees at meetings go down even before Covid-19.  I’ve also observed that there are a core group of members who are very loyal to the program attending meetings regularly and doing service in the program.  I’ve also been happy to see a constant arrival of newcomers who “keep it green” and are proof that the outreach program is working.

Rather than focusing on the popularity of the program as a measure of its success, I am content to be grateful that this wonderful twelve step based program of recovery for compulsive sexual behavior is here for me when I need it, which I find is often.  — Gregory S.

 

The Tools of Dating and Socializing are unique to SCA and can be used to help build, support and aide in our recovery. However, like some of the other tools, they can be stressful to start to use.  I know that even going to meetings at first was a reason for me to “act out”. When I got to the point where I felt I was ready for a “healthy” relationship I found I needed to define what “dating” was to me.  So I created a “Dating Plan”.  There were so many ways meeting new people could screw with my head that I found that I needed to be honest with myself on what I was doing.  I needed to know if the date was going to be casual or serious before bringing sex into it.  In trying this out I found I had to actually discuss this with the dates.  What a concept! Strange I know, but it really helped me deal with all the feelings that can come up with dating and to maintain my sobriety according to my SRP (Sexual Recovery Plan). — Gary S.

 

Questions & Thoughts

Question: I’ve heard that “you’ve got to hit a bottom for the program to work”. How do I know if I’ve hit BOTTOM?

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Please submit your Thoughts, Feelings or Experiences about this question to the e-mail address below. You can also submit a SCA related article, poem, post or etc. to be considered for publication to the same address:

scannereditor@sca-recovery.org

Thoughts:

My view on “hitting bottom” is best expressed by the late David N., who wrote most of the Afterword for our Characteristics Commentary (P. 52 of the SCA Recovery Book) his words: “Some have suggested that we hit bottom when we stop digging: we finally realize how deep the hole in us had become.”

Eventually, my overwhelming desire to sexually act out led to a period where I despaired of ever being able to stop my behaviors. For me, that was “hitting bottom”. I gave up trying to dig further, and looked up, but couldn’t see the sky. I decided that I might as well go to a Twelve-Step meeting —which I had been avoiding—to see if I might find some possibility of breaking out of my downward spiral.  — Anonymous