I am cross-addicted and dually diagnosed. I am in many fellowships, including AA, CA, MA and ACA. The great thing about the fellowship of DDA is that it complements all other fellowships in a way that is trauma-informed with a focus on mental health. I have a mental health condition called EUPD (previously known as BPD).  DDA is the place where I can share openly about my struggles with my EUPD as well as addiction, alcoholism and my childhood trauma, all in the same share. I don’t fear judgment because many identify with these subjects and have lived experience of such things too, in the fellowship of DDA. I am currently working the 12 Steps + 5 in DDA with their workbook “Dual Diagnosis Anonymous: A Journey Through the Twelve Steps plus Five” by Corbitt Monica, the founder of DDA. What’s special about the DDA programme is the way that the stepwork incorporates mental illness into each and every step in a unique way. The Plus 5 Steps are specifically all about mental health and how to successfully live and recover when suffering from a dual diagnosis. I love how it complements my other fellowships and fits in perfectly with them all. I also love how positive feedback is offered, which is encouraging and makes me feel more at home in a meeting. Overall, DDA is the link that binds all my other fellowships together by tackling the underlying issues of my mental health problems, and is absolutely key to my successful recovery today.

Thanks DDA!

Everyone has a story. Everyone has lived experience of something. For me, that was alcohol abuse, abuse of painkillers and a diagnosis of a mental illness. A friend told me about Dual Diagnosis Anonymous. I was warmly welcomed. In DDA, I found a fellowship where I was accepted and supported and a place where I was able to share about both my addiction and my mental health difficulties.
In DDA, I was encouraged, not judged by my fellows. At first, when I attended meetings, I just listened, but I slowly began to share. DDA was a fellowship where I felt a sense of belonging and where I felt I could connect with others. In DDA, I found genuine recovery, and I haven’t looked back since.

It’s so powerful just being heard and understood by people who get me. At DDA I’ve experienced so much kindness and empathy.