12 Tools & 12 Promises

The Twelve Tools of Debtors Anonymous


Recovery from compulsive debting begins when we stop incurring new, unsecured debt, one day at a time. (Unsecured debt is any debt that is not backed up by some form of collateral, such as a house or other asset.) We attain a daily reprieve from compulsive debting by practising the Twelve Steps and by using the following Tools.


We attend meetings at which we share our experience, strength, and hope with one another. Unless we give to newcomers what we have received from DA, we cannot keep it ourselves.


We maintain records of our daily income and expenses, of our savings, and of the retirement of any portions of our outstanding debts.


We have found it essential to our recovery to have a sponsor and to be a sponsor. A sponsor is a recovering debtor who guides us through the Twelve Steps and shares their own experience, strength, and recovery.


After we have gained some familiarity with the DA program, we organize Pressure Relief Groups consisting of ourselves and two other recovering debtors who have not incurred unsecured debt for at least 90 days and who usually have more experience in the program. The group meets in a series of Pressure Relief Meetings to review our financial situation. These meetings typically result in the formulation of a spending plan and an action plan.


The spending plan puts our needs first and gives us clarity and balance to live within our means. It includes categories for income, spending, debt payment, and savings. The income category helps us determine our resources and focus on increasing our income, if needed. The debt payment category guides us in making realistic payment arrangements without depriving ourselves. The savings category helps us build cash reserves, however humble, and can include savings for a prudent reserve, retirement and special purchases.


With the help of our Pressure Relief Group, we develop a list of specific actions for resolving our debts, improving our financial situation, and achieving our goals without incurring unsecured debt.


We maintain frequent contact with other DA members by using the telephone, email, and other forms of communication. We make a point of talking to other DA members before and after taking difficult steps in our recovery.


We study the literature of Debtors Anonymous and of Alcoholics Anonymous to strengthen our understanding of compulsive disease and of recovery from compulsive debting.


We maintain awareness of the danger of compulsive debt by taking note of bank, loan company, and credit card advertising and their effects on us. We also remain aware of our personal finances in order to avoid vagueness, which can lead to compulsive debting or spending.


We attend business meetings that are held monthly. Many of us have long harboured feelings that ‘business’ was not a part of our lives but for others more qualified. Yet participation in running our own program teaches us how our organisation operates, and also helps us to become responsible for our own recovery.


We perform service at every level: personal, meeting, Intergroup, and World Service. Service is vital to our recovery. Only through service can we give to others what so generously has been given to us.


We practice anonymity, which allows us freedom of expression by assuring us that what we say at meetings or to other DA members at any time will not be repeated.

The Twelve Promises of Debtors Anonymous


In the program of Debtors Anonymous, we come together to share our journey in recovering from compulsive debting. There is hope. In working DA’s Twelve Steps, we have developed new ways of living. When we work DA’s Twelve Steps and use DA’s Tools, we begin to receive these gifts of the program:



All this and more is possible. When we work this program with integrity and to the best of our ability, one day at a time, a life of prosperity and serenity will be ours.


© The Twelve Tools of Debtors Anonymous are copyright 2005 Debtors Anonymous General Service Board, Inc. Revised 2013 

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