Debtors Anonymous (DA) Meetings

General Debtors Anonymous (DA) Meeting Information

With 100’s of DA meetings being held in fifteen countries around the world every day, it’s easy for you to find local live meetings and online meetings with people from your local community in attendance. If you are in a treatment center, they will have meetings and may also provide transportation to and from meetings. Many meetings have childcare, to ensure mothers and fathers can attend meetings also.

Meetings for Debtors Anonymous and are most often held in public places like churches, community centers, club houses and parks. During the COVID pandemic, many of your local DA meetings are still being held on the same day and time as before, but have transitioned to an online platform like Zoom. While DA groups do not affiliate themselves with any particular religion, they are spiritual in nature, with a goal of being a safe place for people with for people who want to stop incurring unsecured debt.  The 12 steps of Debtors Anonymous are specifically designed to help suffering debtors rebuild their lives.

Types of Debtors Anonymous (DA) Meetings

As a general rule, there are two standard types of Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings: open meetings and closed meetings. Open and closed Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings often follow various formats including:

• Topic/Discussion DA Meetings: Possibly the most common meeting format, the chairperson or leader of the meeting will choose a topic to discuss during the meeting. These meetings may be open or closed.
• Speaker DA Meetings: DA members who have been in the group for a minimum period of time may be chosen beforehand to share their past experiences and how working through “The Program,” as DA’s 12 Steps and Traditions may be referred to, has helped them get to where they are today. These DA meetings are often open to the public, many are recorded, so you can listen to your favorite Debtors Anonymous (DA) Speakers any time you want.
• Book, Step, Tradition or Literature DA Meetings: A reading from various DA Literature is read, shared on and worked through during the meeting. These DA meetings are usually held in a rotation as the DA Steps, Traditions, Book or Literature are worked through. Individuals may use workbooks and texts during the DA meeting or for homework assignments.

People can attend as many Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings as the want and are often encouraged to attend a number of meetings until they find a meeting or set of meetings they like and that have people attending who they can relate to. People are encouraged to find an DA home group which they attend regularly. This is usually a meeting you relate to, that has people who are benefiting from the meeting and Debtors Anonymous (DA) program. They generally take a commitment at their DA home group and hold themselves and others accountable for attending.

How is a Debtors Anonymous (DA) Meeting Conducted?

Debtors Anonymous is a twelve-step program for people who want to stop incurring unsecured debt. People do not have to do anything prior to attending an DA meeting; they can just show up. Debtors Anonymous (DA) meeting attendance is kept confidential, and individuals are welcome to attend as many different Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings as they desire. Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings are typically an hour, but there are also many longer meetings and some shorter in duration.

Typical Debtors Anonymous (DA) Meeting Format

Individual Debtors Anonymous (DA) groups may differ slightly in the way they run Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings, but in general, a typical format for an DA meeting is as follows:

• Welcome and opening
• Moment of silence and recitation of the Serenity Prayer
• Explanation of 12-Steps, expectation of confidentiality, and reiteration of openness to all and no cost for membership
• Reading from the Debtors Anonymous (DA) Literature
• Introductions around the room (first name only, though no one is required to speak)
• Introduction of the speaker or facilitator of the meeting
• Discussion
• Announcements
• Passing of the collection plate, donations are not required although this is how the DA group sustains itself
• Closing, most likely with a Debtors Anonymous (DA) reading and a closing prayer

As Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings are meant to be a fellowship, there is also often coffee and refreshments at some point either before, during, or after the DA meeting for networking and socializing. DA members may choose to volunteer at DA meetings as coffee makers, greeters, literature distributor, or they can get more involved volunteering as the DA group’s secretary, DA treasurer, DA chairperson, etc.

Those who have been in Debtors Anonymous (DA) for a long period of time may become a “sponsor” for newer DA members. A sponsor is a more veteran member of the DA group, who has gone through the same difficulty you may be facing, has taken the 12-steps of the DA program, knows the literature and will guide you through the 12 steps of Debtors Anonymous to help with your success. DA sponsors also offer encouragement around the clock, helping to provide in-the-moment support and guidance when needed, and introduce you to other Recovery Resources. DA sponsors are often available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, usually by phone, to help sponsees get through potentially difficult situations, temptations, or triggering events. DA sponsors may meet or check-in with their sponsees regularly, and lifelong relationships may be formed.

Debtors Anonymous (DA) groups are safe environments free from drugs, and other mind altering substances, where individuals are surrounded by others with the same goal of sustained clean time and recovery. These Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings can provide individuals with a network of clean peers who can understand and empathize with each other in ways that others who are not in Debtors Anonymous (DA) may not be able to as easily.

The Recovery HQ Team is here to help you!

It’s important to know that you and your loved one are not alone in your fight for sobriety. Whether you choose to go to Debtors Anonymous (DA) meetings, take up meditation or yoga or use other resources, taking the first step toward regaining your life has begun. Contact our dedicated team and we will help find the solution which best fits your needs.