Secular Organizations for Sobriety

Domain V · Systemic, relational, group & community · James Christopher · 1985 · North Hollywood, California, USA

What it is

Secular Organizations for Sobriety (also called Save Our Selves; SOS) is a mutual-aid fellowship, not a therapy. It is a network of autonomous, non-professional, free, self-supporting and anonymous peer groups for people seeking abstinence from alcohol and other drugs without religious or spiritual…

Format

• SOS has no phases, steps or session count. Christopher described it as many individual "small p" programmes rather than one fixed Programme. The structure it does publish is (a) the daily cognitive practice, (b) the weekly meeting, and (c) time markers for anniversaries.
• Format: peer-led group, usually weekly, 1–1.5 hours, in a neutral public venue (hospital, library, community centre, Ethical Society, Unitarian church, college, treatment centre) or online (Zoom, Facebook groups). Free; a basket or online donations cover costs. Lunchtime and early-evening slots are…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• How do you and the practitioner understand what is happening, in spiritual or cultural terms? Is that a source of comfort, worry, or both?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• reading taking the place of attending meetings or acting on the material.
• recommending SOS only to argue against AA. SOS itself avoids that stance.
• clients expecting AA-style rituals, or a professionally run therapy group. Neither is what SOS offers.
• any risk of violence. The brochure flags escalation, so do a safety assessment and make a safety plan.
• unstructured evenings and weekends, and withdrawal symptoms that need medical care rather than a routine.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.