Nashville, TN
It continues to be exciting here in Middle Tennessee watching the growth of SA. We are now up to 17 meetings per week, which does not include some of the meetings in locations outside the city limits of Nashville. Approximately 25 miles to the south of us in the community of Murfreesboro, they are now having two meetings a week. Also approximately 60 miles north of us in Bowling Green, KY, we are aware of one meeting a week. One can actually visualize the ripple effect of recovery in geographic terms. It seems unimaginable that a little over six years ago we had one meeting a week in this area with two people attending, and now at some of our meetings we will get 60 people. Our intergroup is active and very well represented by members of various meetings.
It is certainly a dream come true. Some of the ingredients that have helped our growth, in my opinion, here in Middle Tennessee have been the following:
- We are not secretive about where our meetings are being located. We have sent our schedules to various therapists in the community and we no longer do detailed cross examinations of those who want to come to our meetings. We used to have to interview each person. This has gone by the wayside for the past many years.
- Our answering service has been a great help. We are listed in the telephone directory as Sexaholics Anonymous. We get many calls per week requesting information about SA.
- Being very aware of the concept of unity. Even though we will have different view points on an issue, our main view point is how are we going to compromise and end up having cooperation rather than dissension in the SA community?
- Last, but not least, we are always aware that when it comes right down to the line, it is not we who are doing this but God, and His love is running the show.
For those communities who are having difficulty growing, it just takes time. Until about three years ago, we were still having only about one meeting a week. At some point in time, all the elements of the recovering community begin to cement together and growth becomes a reality.
H.A.
