top of page

The Promises of MAA

Signs and Symptoms of Media Recovery

  1. Satisfaction with everyday life—We turn to our Higher Power and our fellowship to share emotional discomfort, boredom, pain, and problems as well as our joys and accomplishments. Community and spiritual living have become our main sources of daily satisfaction as we have found continued relief, reward, recreation, relaxation, and fulfilling relationships in activities outside of media.
     

  2. Cognitive indifference—We no longer have a fear of missing out and enjoy limiting the time on our devices. We stay attentive to what's happening in our personal lives. We actualize ourselves by being fully invested in our life purpose. We balance our media usage with what serves us and others. Our positivity and gratitude lead to greater contentment and peace.
     

  3. Enthusiasm, gratification, and hopefulness—Where once we felt despair, we now feel enthusiastic, gratified, and hopeful about life. As we abstain from unhealthy media, we have found that we are living better and more fulfilled lives without it. This gratification has allowed us to have prolonged periods of joyfulness and serenity.
     

  4. Identify and encourage—We identify with what we see in our circle of friends. We take time to encourage others and we try to be of service to them. This brings feelings of usefulness as we see that we are valued for who we are. We see through the myth of seemingly perfect people on media and know that our self-worth comes from our Higher Power.
     

  5. Sociability—We prefer to socialize with others rather than isolate on media. When we are with real people, we are interested in their companionship. Sociability causes us to embrace those activities in life which bring us joy and connection.
     

  6. Faithfulness—We have meaningful relationships with real people. We turn to authentic relationships  to satisfy our need for romance, intimacy, and sexual fulfillment. When we stay faithful and honest with our commitments to others, we experience a deeper level of intimacy which leads to more love and affection than before.
     

  7. Conscientious behavior—We protect our health, safety, and others by being conscientious of our media at all times. We don't drive while sending text messages, watch TV when eating, or deprive ourselves of sleep because of media.
     

  8. Time Reverence—Time is the only commodity we can never get back, therefore, we focus only on what is truly important in our lives. Vital living takes priority over everything media related. 
     

  9. Achieving our life's purpose—We achieve our creative endeavors, intellectual pursuits, and prioritized goals because we are no longer focused on passive media consumption. We expand our income, education, careers, and overall success by facing and concentrating on our daily studies and income—generating opportunities. We build faith in ourselves and hope for our future.
     

  10. Connect to our bodies and nature—We become deeply connected to our bodies and fully enjoy all of our senses. We meet our body’s basic needs for rest, sleep, exercise, and good nutrition. We regularly spend time outdoors enjoying the nourishment and beauty of the natural world.
     

  11. Physical health—With less time in front of screens and constant media stimulation, we experience greater physical and mental health.
     

  12. Sanity has returned—Eventually, withdrawal and detoxification symptoms pass, and we gain freedom from the mental obsession and cravings of media. "If tempted [by media], we recoil from it as from a hot flame. We react sanely and normally, and we will find that this has happened automatically. We will see that our new attitude toward [media] has been given us without any thought or effort on our part. It just comes! That is the miracle of it. We are not fighting it, neither are we avoiding temptation. We feel as though we have been placed in a position of neutrality—safe and protected. We have not even sworn off. Instead, the problem has been removed. It does not exist for us. We are neither cocky nor are we afraid. That is our experience. That is how we react so long as we keep in fit spiritual condition." (Quotation is modified for media addicts and taken from pages 84-85 of the Big Book of A.A.)

bottom of page