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In 1968, one of our founders was arrested for sexually acting out and was sent to a psychoanalyst as part of his legal consequences. After undergoing treatment, he modified his behavior, mostly out of fear. In 1970, he failed in his attempt to become a professor when he didn’t pass his oral and written exams causing him to fall into deep despair. His addict had a cure and he began to act out again. He eventually sought out an industrial psychologist to try and understand what he should be doing as a career. After confiding in this psychologist about his sexual acting out, he was told there was a cure. The cure was a behavioral modification program that included ten weeks of electroshock therapy. After finishing this treatment in November that year, he was again cruising and acting out in January. He started working for a church as a youth counselor, helping drug addicts. One night, as he left the treatment center where he worked, he noticed patients coming out of the Twelve Step meeting. They were laughing and hugging. He was surprised to notice that his patients seemed to be doing better then him! He decided to start a twelve step group for sex addicts, it was 1976.

Two days after making up his mind to start a group, he received a call from a friend who had also gotten into trouble for his sexual behavior. They agreed to meet at Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Minnesota and had a long conversation about their respective problems. They continued to meet and their conversations deepened as they walked around the lake. They finally decided to put together a group. Another call, another member. Our first SAA meetings began in a boathouse, as that was the most secluded place they could find. That was our beginning. It was 1977.

In 1978, a woman called and was met at Lake Harriet; she became our first woman member and formed our first woman’s group. In the early ‘80s,’ mixed groups began.

Now, in 2009, only thirty-three years later, our fellowship has grown to over 1,000 groups. In addition to those in the United States, there are groups in twenty other countries. New groups are being formed in Iran and Ireland this year. We now have 24 websites developed and maintained by Groups and Intergroups.

Our fellowship has some 55 service committees, with hundreds of volunteers who are putting in thousands of hours of service in order to accomplish our Groups’ primary purpose: “To carry our message to the sex addict who still suffers.” We are ready for and anticipate a substantial increase in the growth of our fellowship.

With our basic mission clearly defined and everyone working hard, we have only one constraint: We need funds to support the growth of our national and international outreach programs.

In the past, our Annual Appeal has been critical in helping the fellowship achieve its goals. This year our financial position is one of strength. Our Operational Reserve Fund is fully-funded and we are able to meet our daily expenses. Thus, we will be able to use the funds from this year’s Annual Appeal to create more opportunities to assist our local and international groups with outreach.

Some noteworthy accomplishments in 2009:

1. The initial printing of our new “Pocket Size SAA Green Book”
2. The launching of our new website
3. Completing the revision of the Group Guide
4. Completing and distributing our new Intergroup Guide
5. The revision of the SAA Basic Pamphlet, which is available in English, Spanish and French
6. A new record for attendance was set at the 2009 International Convention
7. The training of fifteen speakers to respond to media requests

A few of our projects in progress:

1. The creation of the SAA Meditation Book – 200 submissions have been received with more arriving weekly
2. Converting our convention workshop CD’s into MP3 files, which will allow the workshops to be downloaded from our website and played on ipods or burned into CD’s.
3. The review and upgrade of our pamphlets and booklets

As we close 2009, the ISO of SAA wishes to express its gratitude for the many gifts it has received in serving the fellowship. Enclosed you will find a fact sheet listing outreach activity handled though the international office. With the support of the fellowship and grace from our Higher Power, we have been able to carry the message to many who suffer from our addiction. We ask for your financial contributions today to help us broaden our message to many, many more. Please be generous with your gifts; for many, your gift will be a gift of life. Please remember the many who gave so that you might receive our message of hope.

Enclosed is an envelope and donation form, which can be used to send a one-time donation. You can also use it to become a LifeLine Partner for on-going monthly support. Of course, you can also give online using our website, www.saa-recovery.org.

The ISO of SAA, the Board of Trustees, and Staff all wish you the best with your recovery.

Amount of donation $

Consider ongoing support of the ISO.
Learn more about becoming a Lifeline Partner.

ISO Outreach Activity

2009 Activity:

1. Outreach emails sent: 500 per month
2. Incoming phone calls: 1,190 per month
3. SAA green books sold: 617 per month
4. Pamphlets and booklets sold: 6,020 per month
5. Sobriety chips sold: 1,510 per month
6. Sobriety medallions sold: 332 per month
7. Over 90% of telephone calls answered live by a staff member

Website Activity:

8. Repeat visitors to our website: 8,525 per month
9. Average number of visits per day: 2,757
10. Most popular downloads:
• SAA Pamphlet – 3,850 per month
• The Outer Circle – 1,638 per month
• Group Guide - 1,097 per month

Amount of donation $

Consider ongoing support of the ISO.
Learn more about becoming a Lifeline Partner.