All posts by Bill R

DA Literature

Draft Depressed Anonymous pamphlet

There have been many requests for pamphlets for Depressed Anonymous. Here is a first draft of a pamphlet for Depressed Anonymous. It will be discussed at the next meeting of DAI, the worldwide oversight committee.

The attached PDF is meant to be printed double-sided, landscape orientation, folded on the short edge of the paper. If printed that way you can fold it into a tri-fold pamphlet. You can print this either in color or black only.

Draft Depressed Anonymous pamphlet

Choice, Gratitude, Hope

Hold On

I’m listening to hits from the 1990’s and the song Hold On from Wilson Phillips came on. The lyrics are about an unhealthy relationship but the lyrics could easily be about my depression.

I just need to hold on for one more day and that day is today. When I keep in the day life becomes more manageable. Not easy but something I have a chance of managing. Let go of the past Bill. Let go of the future. Living is about being in the moment, the here and now.

I fall into the trap that I’m stuck feeling emotionally spent for now and for all time. My problem is not my emotions but rather the thoughts behind the emotions. I’m on the proverbial mental gerbil wheel of constantly thinking of my bad emotions. I even fell into it there. Are my emotions truly bad or am I judging them that way?

Hold onto the reality of the moment Bill. I have a roof over my head, I ate an hour ago. I showered with hot water. I am blessed and a beloved child of God. You, dear reader, are as well. Life may be difficult at the moment but HOLD ON!

Yours in recovery, Bill R

Acceptance, Despair, Faith, Fellowship, Higher Power, Spirituality

Turn it over to your Higher Power

I’ve been really struggling with depression recently. I’m in a dark place – restless, irritable, and discontent. I belong to another 12 Step fellowship and my depression has had me thinking a lot about picking up my old addictive behavior. Intellectually I know that is a bad idea but my thoughts keep going back to that stinking thinking.

I went to a face to face meeting of this other fellowship and stated out loud that depression has been kicking my ass recently and that I’ve been thinking about partaking in that addictive pattern. People told me I’m not alone, that they too have been in dark places as well. Going back to being an active addict is not the way.

One person shared about how they were given a suggestion to turn it over and pray to the God of their understanding. I realized that I’ve been trying to do this on my own – and that has rarely worked for me. My memory is not perfect so I can’t say that it never worked for me. But that is where I am now – trying to do it on my own.

I surrender myself to the care of my Higher Power. I will pray to that power that I know peace, that I have wisdom, and that I have the willingness to continue praying to that Higher Power. The bottom line is that I am powerless over depression and I need a power greater than myself.

Lord, please grant me the willingness to surrender to you completely and absolutely.

Yours in recovery, Bill R

12 Step Meeting

Register your Depressed Anonymous group

We are working to keep our meeting list accurate, current, and as helpful as possible for anyone seeking support. To do that, we’re asking each group to register their meeting using the Google Form below.

By submitting your meeting information, you help ensure that newcomers and members alike can reliably find your group. Outdated or missing listings can make it harder for someone to get help when they need it most.

We are especially hoping that a group facilitator or trusted group representative completes this form. Having a reliable point of contact allows us to communicate important updates, confirm meeting details when needed, and keep everything running smoothly.

In addition, registering your group helps strengthen our fellowship as a whole. It allows us to reach groups when we need input on fellowship-wide matters, including votes on bylaws, group conscience decisions, and other proposals that affect all of us.

Our goal is not to govern individual groups, but to stay connected, informed, and unified in service. Your participation helps us maintain an accurate meeting directory and ensures your group has a voice in the broader fellowship.

Please take a few minutes to complete the form and keep your meeting information up to date. Thank you for your service and for helping us carry the message. – https://forms.gle/AHyEdxnuGmZ9eKFm7

Depressed Anonymous

Are friends and family struggling because of YOUR depression?

Our depression not only affects us but it impacts those around us. If your friends and family are struggling and would like some help there is a sister fellowship to ours – Dep-Anon.

Dep-Anon: A Fellowship for Families and Friends
Dep-Anon is a 12‑Step program for those who struggle to support a loved one living with depression. While Depressed Anonymous offers recovery and hope for individuals, Dep-Anon provides a parallel path of healing for family members and friends.

Many members know both sides of this journey—living with depression themselves and supporting someone they love. Together, these fellowships create a fuller circle of care, one for those living with depression and one for those who love them.

Their fellowship can be found at https://depanon.org

Please note that we are not endorsing or supporting the other fellowship, we are just making our members aware there is help for their family and friends.

Addiction, Choice, Courage, Focus, Powerlessness, Purpose

Adding to saddening tolerance?

When it comes to other addictions the addict typically will use more of the substance/behavior and participate in it more frequently. They typically start exhibiting more risky behavior because what was once a line in the sand that they wouldn’t cross is now being crossed on a daily or more frequent basis. What exactly is your bottom line addictive saddening behavior? What did it start out as?

Perhaps it began with you not being outgoing in social situations. It then may have progressed to you not speaking to a few or many people. Then it may have switched to you staying isolated at home. Then you may be at a point that you find it impossible to get out of bed.

Notice a progression here where you had to start exhibiting deeper and more frequent saddening behavior. Our tolerance grows over time and it takes a bigger hit of saddening yourself before you feel the escape from the troubles of your life.

The nice things about bottoms is that there are so many to choose from. I can get off the crazy train by dedicating myself to a program of recovery. We can’t do it alone but with each other and our Higher Power there is a way out of depression.

Join me on the journey of returning to sanity.

Yours in recovery,
Bill R