Saturday Format

RADICAL CLARITY GROUP - BEGINNER’S MEETING


SATURDAYS

Printable Meeting Format (Updated 3.02.2024)


TECH HOST

8:29am: [MUTE ALL] Welcome everyone.  I am _____, a solvent compulsive debtor and the Technology Host for today’s meeting.  I muted the group.  I will post the link in Chat with all the prayers and readings for your use during the meeting.  I now turn the meeting over to _______, our Chairperson.

[8:30am - 1. Lock the room.  2. Direct Message “Everyone” with the RCG webpage link for the script. Post Phone Number in Chat for those booted out by Internet issues.]

_____________________________


CHAIRPERSON


8:30am: Good morning and welcome to the Radical Clarity Group, Beginner’s Meeting of Debtors Anonymous. My name is _____. I'm a solvent Compulsive Debtor. My solvency date is _______. I am your Chairperson for today’s meeting.


(CHAIR: IF NEEDED, ASK TECH HOST TO POST ANY PORTION OF SCRIPT ON SCREEN)


SAFE MEETING PARAMETERS 


A.  Please be mindful, respectful, and kind about your presence on camera in today’s meeting, as we try to create a safe environment for everyone in their recovery.

 

B.   The meeting is locked at 8:30am to entry/reentry. Anyone may exit anytime.

 

C.   Radical Clarity Group meetings are Closed Meeting of Debtors Anonymous – solely for those whose use of unsecured credit causes problems and suffering for themselves and others.

 

D.  As a Closed Meeting, we ask that, participants:

 

1. Identify solely with ‘Compulsive Debtor’. Those who identify other symptoms or issues will be invited to re-identify with ‘Compulsive Debtor’ only.

2. Join from a private and fixed location.

3. Maintain their still video for the duration of the meeting, even if they need to step away briefly (up to 5 minutes) during the meeting.





Silence and Prayer: Let us now take a moment of silence for the still suffering Compulsive Debtor, followed by the ‘we’ version of the Serenity Prayer.


“Moment of Silence.” [PAUSE] “Prayer.”

[Paste Prayer in Chat]

God, grant us the Serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the Courage to change the things we can, and the Wisdom to know the difference.


Welcome and Purpose: Welcome to Debtors Anonymous. Debtors Anonymous offers hope for people whose use of unsecured debt causes problems and suffering. We come to learn that compulsive debting is a spiritual problem with a spiritual solution, and we find relief by working the DA recovery program based on the Twelve-Step principles.


The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop incurring unsecured debt. Even if members are not in debt, they are welcome in D.A. Our Fellowship is supported solely through contributions made by members; there are no dues or fees.


Debtors Anonymous is not affiliated with any financial, legal, political, or religious entities, and we avoid controversy by not discussing outside issues. By sharing our experience, strength, and hope, and by carrying the message to those who still suffer, we find joy, clarity, and serenity as we recover together.


COMPULSIVE DEBTING – SPIRITUAL ILLNESS

I have asked ______ to read ‘What is Compulsive Debting?’

Compulsive debting is a disease.  We have found that it is a disease that never gets better, only worse, as time goes on. It is a disease, progressive in nature, which can never be cured but can be arrested. Before coming to DA, many compulsive debtors thought of themselves as irresponsible, morally weak, or – at times- just plain “no good.” The D.A. concept is that the compulsive debtor is really a very sick person who can recover if he or she will follow, to the best of his or her ability, a simple program that has proved successful for other men and women with a similar problem.


As compulsive debtors, we have fallen into patterns of spending that do not satisfy our real needs. Some of us have chronically held back on paying our bills and debts, even when we had the money to pay them. Or we have faithfully kept up our payments to one or two creditors and neglected the others. Some of us have simply ignored our debts for some time, hoping against hope that somehow they would miraculously get paid. Some of us have been compulsive spenders, showering ourselves with things we neither needed nor wanted. When we felt needy or lacking, we splurged on something we could not afford. We spent impulsively, incurred debt, felt guilty, promised never to do it again, and only repeated the same cycle the next time the feeling of “not enough” came up. Having overspent, we often had nothing to show for it and wondered where all that money went. Some compulsive spenders are not actually in debt, but they are still welcome in DA. The only requirement for membership is a desire to avoid incurring unsecured debt.


Some of us have been compulsive paupers, leaving ourselves broke time and again, struggling from one financial crisis to the next. Then, there are those of us who find it almost impossible to spend money on ourselves. The TV breaks and stays broken; that pair of shoes, ready for retirement, is made to work yet another year; and even medical and dental problems go unattended.


This disease affected our vision of ourselves and of the world around us. It led us to believe that we were “not enough” -- at home, at work, in social situations, in love relationships. It also led us to believe that there is not enough out there in the world for us. The disease manufactured a sense of impoverishment in all that we did and saw. In reaction to this, we withdrew into a dream world, fretted over money, and avoided responsibilities.    

–"Debtors Anonymous” Pamphlet, pp. 1-2


FIRST THREE STEPS and TRADITION 3

I have asked ___ to read Steps 1, 2 and 3; and Tradition 3.

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over debt, that our lives had become unmanageable.

Step 2: Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Step 3: Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, as we understood Him.

Tradition 3: The only requirement for DA membership is a desire to stop incurring unsecured debt.


[Paste Prayer in Chat]

Beginner’s Prayer: Just for this day, I will ask my Higher Power to remove my compulsion to debt, under earn, or overspend. I am willing to go to any lengths to not debt today.

--Bookmark, “Just For This Day”


DA Purpose: Solvency, the primary purpose of Debtors Anonymous, is the practice of not incurring any new unsecured debt one day at a time. Unsecured debt is any form of debt that is not backed up by collateral.


RCG Purpose: The Radical Clarity Group welcomes those suffering with compulsive debting, and those who are solvent. We maintain a safe environment to share our experience, strength, and hope. We believe ‘Compulsive Debting’ is a spiritual illness; and we focus on the spiritual solution offered in Debtors Anonymous.


In this meeting, we respect the integrity of each person by keeping the focus on ourselves. We discourage interrupting others, giving advice, or offering judgments (either positive or negative). Since Radical Clarity Group is a beginner’s meeting, we invite members to ask questions, and other solvent members may briefly answer, offer support, and clarify aspects of the program.



SHARE TIME UNTIL 9:20

The topic I have chosen for today’s meeting is: ______________.


Shares in Debtors Anonymous are timed. Time is Our Friend. I have asked _____ to be our Spiritual Timekeeper today. Thank you. We acknowledge the Timekeeper at the ‘One-Minute’ announcement.  When ‘Time’ is called please bring your remarks to conclusion. Thank you.



IF YES: Do you need me to time you?

A. Yes? – Time the timekeeper – and then go to #3.

B. No? – The timekeeper times themselves – and go to #3.


TO 9:00am: BEGINNER SHARE TIME

[AT 9:00am: PAUSE]


9:00am – 9:20am: OPEN SHARE TIME to ALL


[9:15am - Time Check - Share Time: 5 minutes.]


9:20am: We have reached the end of share time. Thank you to all who shared and all who listened. The meeting line will also remain open for a fifteen-minute meeting-after-the-meeting, and we welcome you to join us then for further guidance and fellowship. 


9:20am – 9:30am 

[Tech Host - Set CHAT to “Everyone” and Post 7th Tradition Payment Information]

7th Tradition: DA has no dues or fees. We are self-supporting through our own contributions. 


7th Tradition Contributions to our Radical Clarity Group Beginner’s Meeting can be made to the current group treasurer through payment information supplied in chat:


[7th Tradition Payment Information]


PayPal (@montypelto) - it comes up as M & K Family Limited Partnership


Zelle (radicalclarityfun@gmail.com)


Venmo (@Monty-Pelto)


Checks or money orders can be mailed to Monty Pelto, 904 Glen Eden Dr, Raleigh, NC 27612.


The 7th tradition is how we fund our group zoom account and send our GSR to the World Service Conference.  It also supports our General Service Office in maintaining our DA website, in producing literature and performing other services that allow still-suffering debtors to find us and get help.


If attending your first meeting, we ask that you not contribute.  Or if you aren’t in a position to contribute, that’s okay too.  Just keep coming back.



Announcements


I now turn the meeting over to the Chip Master. Thank you.


Chip Master: Thank you. My name is _____, and I’m your Chip Master. The Radical Clarity Group celebrates solvency with virtual chips. Please UNMUTE to be acknowledged:


[CHAIR RESUMES]

Closing Reading: I have asked _______ to please read ‘Just For This Day’.


Just for this day, I will be grateful that I have enough food to eat and a place to sleep. If I lack either of these, I will ask for help.

Just for this day, I will ask my Higher Power to remove my compulsion to debt, under earn, or over spend. I am willing to go to any lengths to not debt today.

Just for this day, I will be clear with my money. I will keep a record of every penny I earn or spend knowing that clarity leads to freedom.

Just for this day, I will accept that I cannot solve all my problems at once. I will take at least one small action toward my recovery.

Just for this day, I will live in this moment, right here, right now. I will set aside my fears of the future and my regrets about the past, accepting everything exactly as it is at this moment.

Just for this day, I will remember that there are infinite sources of help available to me. I do not have to be alone. I will reach out to another D.A. member and find hope and encouragement for my situation, even if it seems hopeless to me right now.

Just for this day, I am willing to believe in a power greater than myself--even if my current understanding of that power is limited.

Just for this day, I will face life with courage. With the help of D.A. and my Higher Power, I have what I need to live through whatever this day brings.

Just for this day, I will be of service. I will help someone else and allow someone else to help me.

Just for this day, I will refrain from comparing myself to others. I will honor my own unique gifts and experiences.

Just for this day, I will set aside time for quiet reflection, prayer, and meditation. I will let this nourish and replenish my soul.

Just for this day, I will be grateful for the abundance in my life. I will recognize that there is enough money, enough time, and enough love.


Closing Statement: In closing, we would like to remind you that in Debtors Anonymous we practice Tradition Twelve, which is the principle of anonymity. This assures us the freedom to express ourselves at meetings and in private conversations without fear that our comments will be repeated. We keep what is shared at meetings confidential. As we work the Steps and practice D.A.'s Traditions and Concepts, we are reminded that recovery is possible and that we are all here for a common purpose – to recover from compulsive debting one day at a time.”



Silence and Prayer: Let us now offer a moment of silence for the still suffering Compulsive Debtor followed by the DA Third Step Prayer, taken from page 19 in the book “The Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and Twelve Concepts of Debtors Anonymous: Thirty-Six Principles of Recovery”. 


“Moment of Silence” [PAUSE] “Prayer”


[Paste Prayer in Chat]

DA Third Step Prayer: Higher Power, I stand before you ready to be transformed. I place myself in your hands. Guide me on my recovery path. Remove my compulsive debting, my self-centered fear, and my own self-will. May I shine to others as a beacon of your power. May I choose to remain on your path always.