The purpose of our Intergroup is to more effectively reach the sex addict in the Orange County area who still suffers. We meet the second Wednesday of each month from 7pm-8:30 p.m. at Lighthouse Church, 1885 Anaheim Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92627, in the Sanctuary. All SAA members are welcome to participate. If you can’t make it, meeting minutes are published on our website. We want your ideas!
Fellowship and the OCI Intergroup
The OCI Intergroup keeps us running smoothly all year and presents the retreats which provide recovery tools, hope and fellowship during the year.n Intergroup also helps track meeting locations and keeps the website up to ensure we reach the sex addict who still suffers and allow those in recovery to maintain their goals. You can also find ways to provide service in roles like the Chair and Vice Chair and for those with tech savviness, DigiComm coordinator or assistants. Reach out to the sex addict who still suffers and help them to find recovery. Speak with others and come to a meeting. We are not alone and we all suffer. One day at a time will get us there. Intergroup meets the second Wednesday of each month from 7pm-8:30 p.m. at Lighthouse Church, 1885 Anaheim Ave., Costa Mesa CA 92627, in the Sanctuary.
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My Share
Each month, we publish a personal but anonymous story of recovery. It can be either an autobiography or about a subject important to your recovery. Stories should be written in the first person (“I”) and speak from your experience, strength, and hope. Please submit your story to ocisaa.newsletter@gmail.com. We may edit submissions for reasons of space, clarity, and appropriate language. Here is this month’s story:
Who I Am
Who Am I? I am a fighter, a communicator, a provider, a teacher, a listener, a friend, a lover, a rock, a human being…yet I walk into a room and say, “I’m (insert name here) and I’m a sex addict. Where did that come from??!
“It” came from the strength and support of all of you. To utter those seven words seems easy yet emotionally, they are draining. Once we made that statement and listened to others, we realized we were not alone. We found ourselves becoming more and more willing to say those words and they became a part of us.
So am I a sex addict? Yes but it does not define me. I awn aware of my disease and the work to be done and accept it as a part of my life. That part shaped me and led me on a journey that was guided by my higher power. Now I reflect on it and grow as a human being to be a fighter, a communicator, a provider, a teacher, a listener, a friend, a lover, a rock…a recovered soul.
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2016 Updates
Website Traffic
Our overall website has increased from just 6,520 views in 2013 to 17,755 views in 2016! We are reaching more and more sex addicts. 3,310 views to our meetings page in 2016 which almost double from 2013 which had 1,773 views. The 6,644 number for 2016 under “Am I a sex addict” rose tremendously, no doubt due to our Google Adword outreach campaign! Our Google Adwords for 2015 resulted in 176,710 responses.
Survey
Please let us know of ways to improve our efforts to reach the sex addict who still suffers.
– 152 people took the survey with 146 males and 5 females responding
– 16 people found SAA through acting out, while 94 found us while looking
for help which is up 17% from last year.
– 49 came to us from therapists up 5% from 2014.
– Referrals were down 6% with 33 being referred.
What kept most coming back was a connection to a share, hearing someone else’s story with 80 responses. We know the power of hearing others going through the same thing we are. Hearing the similar despair and longing for a better path. 27 came back because they were greeted…very important because we all understand that it is a huge step to just walk in to a meeting of strangers and utter those three words for the first time.
The most most popular meeting formats (in order of most popular to least popular) were shares-106, speaker-52, book study-48, step study-47, mixed-23, meditation-17 and other-14.
Thank you to everyone who participated and provided data for the survey and a big thank you to everyone involved in getting this survey out to everyone and compiling the results. If you have questions please let us know.
Retaining Newcomers
As always, we want to reach out and retain newcomers since most of us know that abstinence and sobriety is better maintained out of isolation and in the fellowship of others. Please consider ways to retain newcomers and ensure they feel welcome as I know we all do.
April 2017 Stats
Website Traffic
In April on our website, http://www.ocisaa.org, we had 2,009 views and 1,226 visitors actively looking through the site and primarily clicking on the “Am I a sex addict” link and using the meeting location tab. We are reaching the sex addict who still suffers overseas as well with clicks from numerous countries. Our website is a valuable for those in recovery as well as those seeking recovery.
Internet Keyword Search Optimization
Our internet keyword search continues to be successful. The clicks are visits to our page. This endeavor has had a large impact on reaching the sex addict who still suffers.
We will also be adding word search terms for women who are suffering from this addiction. We have received several contacts from women through the adword project.
Craigslist
The responses continue to ads we placed for SAA on the Orange County Craigslist website. Sex addicts going there to act out are being presented with an opportunity for recovery, and for some of them, it’s working! 1767 1078
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Announcements & News Notes
The OC Intergroup meeting day has changed. OC Intergroup now meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7pm at the same location, Lighthouse Church Costa Mesa in the Sanctuary.
Costa Mesa Noon Meetings
We have found a new location for the Costa Mesa Noon Meetings…
Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church located at:
2845 Mesa Verde Dr. East – Suite 4
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
- They are also looking for speakers for Monday meetings to speak for 15 minutes on how they found recovery. Requires 6 months or more of sobriety to speak. Contact Lee at (714)318-8932 if interested.
A Message for Sponsors
We suggest you consider stressing to your sponsees the importance of service work such as volunteering for positions at their meetings. Early in recovery, service work gives recovering sex addicts something to feel good about when they need it most. Later on, it becomes Step 12 work, a very healthy activity and again a builder of self-esteem. Some sponsors we know feel so strongly about it that they advise their sponsees either to fill a service position or find another sponsor!
Intergroup Vacancies
Our Intergroup elections are coming up in November. All positions except the Chair positions are up for election. These are great opportunities to be of service, and they generally require little or no special expertise.
► The Vice Chair works with the Chair to coordinate the Intergroup’s overall activities such as preparing the monthly agenda and helping with surveys. It’s estimated that Vice Chair duties take about 2-4 hours per month, plus the monthly Intergroup meeting.
► The Vice Treasurer works with the Treasurer to manage Intergroup funds. The duties generally occupy minimal time – just an hour most months. Attendance at the monthly Intergroup meeting is encouraged. This position requires one year of abstinence.
► Digi Com Chair is responsible for maintaining the website and generally requires 2-4 hours each month. Attendance at the monthly Intergroup meeting is encouraged.
► We are looking for people with website experience of any kind, including those who are willing to learn.
Thanks for Your Donations!
We are grateful for the support we receive from the Orange County area SAA meetings. As you can see from our activities listed in this newsletter, we are putting your donations to good use. We encourage you to attend our monthly meetings and voice your ideas.
A Note to Event Promoters and Organizers: For those requesting announcements to run in our newsletter, please use the following format – and order – as much as possible:
Who: Are you a committee (of the Intergroup, for example), or an individual SAA meeting group, or another type of organization or individual?
What: Is this a workshop, breakfast, retreat, or another type of event?
Title: What is the name of your event?
When: Give the date and starting and ending times of your event.
Cost: What – if anything – is the suggested contribution, or is it a set fee, or is no one turned away for lack of funds?
Description: In a sentence, or several sentences, say what is unique or especially appealing about your event.
Where: Event address, along with any cross-street info or parking tips you think are important.
More Info: Whom to call for more information? List a telephone number, email address, and/or website.
Please give us as much lead time as possible, and note that submissions are subject to editing for clarity and space.
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SAA Meeting News
New Meetings:
Costa Mesa (NEW LOCATION Effective Aug. 3th 2015 – formerly at First Methodist Church of Costa Mesa):
Monday, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Men Only/Closed/Book Study
Costa Mesa Church of Christ, 287 W. Wilson Street, Costa Mesa, CA 92627
Directions: Between Harbor Blvd. & Fairview Ave.
For more information call 949-478-5617
Corona Del Mar (NEW LOCATION Effective Aug. 5th 2015 – formerly at First Methodist Church of Costa Mesa):
Wednesday, 7:30 – 9:00 pm
Mixed/Closed/Book Study/Share
St. Michael & All Angels’ Episcopal Church, 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 (South Wing Room attached to Church – Enter thru Patio on the Right)
Directions: to be added to website soon! For more information call (949) 636-1917
Wednesday, 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Men only/Closed
Pines Park, 34941 Camino Capistrano, CA 92624
Directions: From the 5 Freeway head south on Camino De Estrella towards Coast Highway, turn right on to Camino Capistrano. Parking will be on the street on Camino Capistrano…….the meeting is held at the upper Park at the south end.
For more information call (949) 547-4498.
Wednesday, 5:00-6:00pm
Closed, men only
1900 E. 4th St., Conference Room 2A, Santa Ana 92705
Free parking in structure
Contact Frank P. (949) 842-3454
Thursday, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Closed, men only
707 E. Chapman, Orange 92866
Building is close to Orange Traffic Circle, white with green trim, no suite number; parking lot adjacent to building
Contact Chris B. (949) 278-3642
Changes:
***Not NUTS Meeting Update!!
Moving to Church of Christ on Wed. nights from 7pm-8:30pm in the Family Room. Bill P is the contact.
***The Monday evening women’s book study meeting has relocated. The meeting time is 6:30pm-7:30pm in Huntington Beach. Please call 657-215-1252 or email saawomensgroup@gmail.com for more details.
The Monday and Friday Long Beach meetings are no longer at Kaiser Permanente, 3900 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach. The new meeting times and locations are:
—Monday, 7:30-8:30 pm, Mixed/Closed/Step/Tradition/Topic
Unitarian Church, 5450 Atherton St., Long Beach (just West of Bellflower Blvd.), in the Chalice Room
Contact Carole B., 562-841-4348, or e-mail CAROLEMARY@NETZERO.COM
—Friday, 6:30-7:30 pm, Mixed/Closed/Step/Tradition/Topic
Unitarian Church, 5450 Atherton St., Long Beach (just West of Bellflower Blvd.), in the Chalice Room
Contact Carole B., 562-841-4348, or e-mail CAROLEMARY@NETZERO.COM
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Orange County Intergroup Officers and Committee Chairs
Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern. — Tradition 2
Chair: Frank S., ocisaa.chair@gmail.com
Vice Chair: Vacant, ocisaa.vicechair@gmail.com
Digital Communications: Neal B., ocisaa.digicom1@gmail.com (Assistant: Reza B., ocisaa.digicom2@gmail.com)
Inreach: Frank, ocisaa.inreach@gmail.com
Outreach: Maurice B., ocisaa.outreach@gmail.com
Literature: Ron C., ocisaa.literature@gmail.com
Treasurer: Phil G. (Vice Treasurer: Vacant), ocisaa.treasurer@gmail.com
Secretary: Steve W., ocisaa.secretary@gmail.com
Newsletter Editor: Mark D., ocisaa.newsletter@gmail.com
Parliamentarian: Vacant
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Website
If you have ideas or suggestions for the website, please contact our Webmaster, Neal B., at ocisaa.digicom1@gmail.com.
OC Intergroup of SAA 