Underearners Anonymous
| Founded | 2005 |
|---|---|
| Location | |
Area served | Canada, Columbia, Denmark, Israel, United Kingdom, American states of California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, Vermont (face-to-face meetings); world wide (phone meetings) |
| Website | [1] |
Underearners Anonymous, often abbreviated “UA”, is a twelve-step program for men and women who have come together to overcome what they call "underearning". The underlying premise of Underearners’ Anonymous is that underearning is a kind of mental disorder, rather like the alcoholic’s self-destructive compulsion to drink to excess.
Indeed, members of UA sometimes refer to themselves as “time drunks”, because they have a propensity to fritter away their time in useless activities, rather than pursuing constructive goals. This parallel with alcoholism has led the fellowship to advocate a self-help system that involves much of the apparatus of Alcoholics’ Anonymous (AA), including the Twelve Steps, regular meetings to share “experience, strength, and hope,” and sponsorship. UA suggests studying AA literature to gain a better understanding of addictive diseases. Specifically, UA endorses the use of the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions[2] and Alcoholics Anonymous[3] (also known as the "Big Book").
UA uses additional tools, such as keeping written records of how one spends one’s time, “possession consciousness”, or the disposal of “what no longer serves us,” and the avoidance of “debting”, or unsecured borrowing. They also advocate "action meetings", in which members peer-counsel others about earning related issues, and "action partnerships", in which members encourage each other to complete earning related tasks.
Success
The Effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous article of this encyclopedia notes the difficulty in rigorously testing the effectiveness of AA. Given the more subjective nature of underearning, as opposed to alcoholism, the effectiveness of UA is probably even harder to rigorously investigate. Nevertheless, some compelling anecdotal evidence of success, at least in certain instances, have been reported.
Relation to Debtors Anonymous
Underearners Anonymous was founded in 2005 by members of Debtors Anonymous. They continue to adhere to the philosophy of the latter program; hence the emphasis on avoiding unsecured borrowing. However, they also felt that a healthly relationship with money required more than just recovery from compulsive overspending, the primary focus of Debtors Anonymous[4].
Many members of Underearners Anonymous are also members of Debtors Anonymous and attend meetings of both organizations.
Development
It has grown rapidly, and weekly meetings take place in, among other places, New York City, Massachusetts, California, Michigan, London, and Canada. In addition, there are conference call “phone meetings” throughout most days. Due to the decentralized nature of UA, it is impossible to make an accurate count of its membership. However, the hundred or so attendees of recent "Prosperity Express" events in New York and Los Angeles suggests a total membership that is well into the hundreds, if not over a thousand, world-wide.
Notes
References
- Kadet, Ann (20 November 2010). "A Program for Poor-aholics". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2011-10-22. Retrieved 2011-10-22.
{{cite news}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Crowe, Aaron (9 February 2011). "Actress Finds New Financial Life With Help from Underearners Anonymous". The Financial Daily (An AOL Money & Finance Site). Archived from the original on 2011-10-24. Retrieved 2011-10-24.
{{cite news}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Bill W. (2002a). Alcoholics Anonymous (4th ed.). New York, New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. ISBN 1893007162. OCLC 408888189. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Bill W. (2002b). Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions. Alcoholics Anonymous World Services. ISBN 0916856011. OCLC 13572433.
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