Triangle Area SAA

Recovery Manual Steps 1 - 9

Track 1
Retreat Opening

Welcome to the Triangle SAA Step Retreat. We are especially glad to greet members of
other SAA recovery communities. No matter where you are in your recovery, we are
honored by your presence and humbled by the trust you repose in us and in our work.

What you will experience over the course of the event and what you will read in these
manuals is the condensed wisdom of our fellowship as expressed by its trusted servants.
We offer you the best of what we have seen work in our area meetings, Step classes and
workshops.

The Retreat schedule sets aside time for sleeping, eating, meetings, prayer and
meditation, reading, writing and, of course, play. This variety will help you pace yourself
and hopefully avoid burnout. We encourage you to stick to the schedule but your
participation is voluntary. Remember H.A.L.T. and do what makes sense.

Event facilitators are all members of the Triangle area recovery community. All are
familiar with the materials in the manuals either because they worked them in an area
Step class or because they attended a previous Retreat. If possible, one facilitator will be
assigned to you, however all facilitators are here to help you. Consider them all a
resource.

All material used at this event is selected, written, reviewed and/or approved by a
volunteer committee of trusted servants. Content is a blend of core literature from AA,
SAA, and NA combined with a solid understanding of the theory of addiction and
popular behavior modification techniques.

We believe we got sober by working the 12 Steps. We include the psychological and
behavioral material to augment your understanding of your disease as you work the
Steps, not to replace the Steps. Just as the diabetic who understands how the pancreas
works will be more apt to comply with an insulin treatment regimen, we believe addicts
who understand the nature of distorted behavior are more likely to adhere to a sobriety
plan as they work the Steps.

Lastly, this manual discusses different ways to work the Steps. These are approaches
identified by our community and are meant to help you structure your work, to provide a
framework, and nothing more. We chose them because of their practicality, simplicity,
and fitness. We do not suggest these are the only ways to work the Steps.

The God of our understanding is limitless and could lift the curse of addiction from
anyone, even a loner not working the Steps. However, our experience tells us our Creator
prefers that sufferings be shared and that resurrections be public for the edification and
celebration of all God s people.

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