What is Debtors Anonymous?
“We, the men and women of Debtors Anonymous, come together to solve our common problems of compulsive debting. We share our experience, strength, and hope with one another to arrest the disease of debting. We have found compulsive debting to be a painful, confusing and destructive disorder. Compulsive debting takes many forms from incurring unsecured debt to compulsive shopping, from grandiose thinking to deprivation mentality. All these symptoms of debting seriously affect our quality of life – financially, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, physically and socially.
As members of Debtors Anonymous, we have chosen a spiritual path of healing and growth which requires working the “Twelve Steps” and using the “Twelve Tools of Debtors Anonymous.” The Twelve Steps form the foundation for our recovery. The DA Tools aid us in working the Steps. As a result of beginning this recovery process, we have been able to stop incurring new unsecured debt, one day at a time, and to retire our existing debt through reason able debt repayment within our means. We are learning to understand ourselves and form genuine loving connections with others and discover a relationship with a Higher Power of our own choice.
We hope that if you identify with some, or all, aspects of compulsive debting, you will join us on the path of recovery from compulsive debting and find the peace, joy, hope and love that is here for you.” ~ Debtors Anonymous General Service Board, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Exerpted from A Currency of Hope, the book was the first publication by the Debtors Anonymous 12 Step fellowship, and describes how DA offers experience, strength, and provides a way to help all those who want to stop incurring unsecured debt, such as credit cards, unsecured loans, personal loans, unpaid taxes, and more; included are 38 success stories of DA members.
Literature
Reading DA literature plays an important role in recovery and our World Service website, www.debtorsanonymous.org, has literature for sale with some available free for download at www.debtorsanonymous.org/literature/literature.htm. In addition to A Currency of Hope, there are pamphlets on over a dozen DA topics from communicating with creditors, to finding a sponsor, and more. You will also find most meetings and a majority of our Events have DA literature for sale.
Meetings
If you are having problems with money and debt and think you may be a compulsive debtor, it is suggested that at first you attend at least six meetings over a period of two weeks to have time to identify with the speakers and absorb the DA concepts. You will meet people at the meetings who will be happy to answer your questions. We found we are stronger together than when we tried to conquer our debting problems alone. Use our Meetings page to find local meetings in Washington DC, MD, Northern VA, Richmond, Virginia Beach as well as search worldwide, phone, and online meetings.
Business Debtors Anonymous
If your business is in trouble, BDA is a distinct and dynamic, but not separate, part of DA, created to focus on the recovery of members of the fellowship who are business owners. Together, members of BDA support one another in applying the DA principles and tools when owning and running a business. Our Business DA page explains more.