A fellowship of hope and recovery
Welcome to the South African Group of Debtors Anonymous! If you have a desire to stop incurring unsecured debt then you are welcome here.
We offer face-to-face and online meetings. We suggest attending at least six meetings to have an opportunity to identify with the speakers and become familiar with DA, before deciding whether or not this program is for you.
If you identify with some or all aspects of compulsive debting, we hope you will join us on the path of recovery and find the peace, joy, and love that we have found in Debtors Anonymous.
Is DA for You?
15 Questions
Most compulsive debtors will answer "yes" to at least eight of the following 15 questions:
- Are your debts making your home life unhappy?
- Does the pressure of your debts distract you from your daily work?
- Are your debts affecting your reputation?
- Do your debts cause you to think less of yourself?
- Have you ever given false information in order to obtain credit?
- Have you ever made unrealistic promises to your creditors?
- Does the pressure of your debts make you careless of the welfare of your family?
- Do you ever fear that your employer, family or friends will learn the extent of your total indebtedness?
- When faced with a difficult financial situation, does the prospect of borrowing give you an inordinate feeling of relief?
- Does the pressure of your debts cause you to have difficulty sleeping?
- Has the pressure of your debts ever caused you to consider getting drunk?
- Have you ever borrowed money without giving adequate consideration to the rate of interest you are required to pay?
- Do you usually expect a negative response when you are subject to a credit investigation?
- Have you ever developed a strict regimen for paying off your debts, only to break it under pressure?
- Do you justify your debts by telling yourself that you are superior to the "other" people, and when you get your "break" you'll be out of debt overnight?
How did you score? If you answered yes to eight or more of these questions, the chances are that you have a problem with compulsive debt or are well on your way to having one. If this is the case, today can be a turning point in your life.
We have all arrived at this crossroad. One road, a soft road, lures you on to further despair, illness, ruin, and in some cases, mental institutions, prison, or suicide. The other road, a more challenging road, leads to self-respect, solvency, healing, and personal fulfillment. We urge you to take the first difficult step onto the more solid road now.
Our Meetings
Online—
Thursdays @ 19:30 SAST
&
Sundays @ 19:00 SAST
Zoom ID: 829 8087 9430
Passcode: DASA
Link: Join Zoom Meeting
Cape Town—
Saturdays, 9:15-10:15
Central Methodist Mission, 38 Burg Street, CBD
Access through Heaven Coffee Shop
and ask for the Ubuntu Room
The 12 Steps of Debtors Anonymous
We admitted we were powerless over debt – that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to other debtors, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The 12 Promises of Debtors Anonymous
We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience can benefit others.
That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
Self-seeking will slip away.
Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves.
These promises will materialize if we work for them.
The Tools of Debtors Anonymous
Meetings
Regular attendance at DA meetings provides fellowship, hope, and the practical experience of others who are recovering from compulsive debting.
Sponsorship
A sponsor is a DA member who has achieved some measure of recovery and is willing to share their experience with newcomers.
The Telephone
We use the telephone to maintain contact with our sponsor and other members between meetings.
Writing
Writing helps us to get in touch with our feelings and to better understand our disease and our recovery.
Literature
DA literature helps us understand our disease and provides guidance for our recovery.
Anonymity
We practice anonymity to protect ourselves and others from the stigma that might result from public identification as debtors.
Service
Service to the fellowship and to other debtors is a vital part of our recovery.
Steps
The Twelve Steps provide a structured way to recover from compulsive debting.
Solvency
Solvency is our ongoing commitment to not incur any new unsecured debt, one day at a time.
Spending Plans
We develop realistic spending plans to help us live within our means and meet our obligations.
Business Meetings
Business meetings help us learn to conduct our affairs in a responsible manner.
Pressure Relief Groups
Small groups that help members examine their financial situation and develop solutions.
Resources & Literature
Worldwide DA Meetings
Find Debtors Anonymous meetings around the world. This directory includes online and in-person meetings across different time zones.