Safety Statement

S.L.A.A. (UK) Safety Statement

SLAA is a fellowship of men and women who come together to heal from their addiction through the 12 step programme of recovery. It is designed to be a safe and loving community where individuals are able to heal from their illness. Fellowship as part of this community is strongly encouraged, and for many of us, it has been instrumental in tackling the isolation that so often accompanies this illness.

It is important to note that individuals, whose patterns manifest in various ways, attend these meetings.  Some will have been victims of abuse, others will have engaged in abusive conduct as part of their acting out patterns, for which they are seeking recovery. A number of individuals will fall within both categories. For some of us, our boundaries have been so violated that we don’t know how to keep ourselves safe. This is one of the tasks that we learn in recovery.
As a guide, the following is suggested:

  1. As with sponsorship, that individuals create their safe outreach network with fellows who are not of the gender or sexual orientation of their acting out /acting in patterns. Exchange telephone numbers only with individuals that do not fall within this category.
  2. Limit your engagement with individuals that are the same gender or sexual orientation of your acting out/acting in patterns in meetings whilst you are in early recovery.
  3. If you at all concerned about an individual, speak up. Do not ignore your instincts. Share with people in the rooms that you trust and your sponsor as to how best to proceed.
  4. If you are uncomfortable about someone’s behaviour, set a boundary. Use your safe
    outreach network for support
  5. Attend fellowship events with others present.
  6. Do not give out any information other than mobile numbers (i.e. full names, addresses) until you know someone well and are confident that they are safe.
  7. Sometimes we develop close relationships within the group, but as this is an anonymous fellowship we do not know anything of a person’s background, for example, whether or not they have committed criminal offences. It is advisable therefore, that if developing close friendships or relationships outside the group, that you bear this in mind.
  8. Regardless of parental consent, no children or individual under the age of 18 years old is to be admitted into a SLAA meeting.

Approved by S.L.A.A. (UK) Intergroup March 2012.  S.L.A.A. (UK) Intergroup does not speak for all of S.L.A.A. This statement is not conference approved by S.L.A.A. Fellowship-Wide Services (F.W.S.)   We are autonomous except in matters affecting other Groups or S.L.A.A. as a whole.