Debtors Anonymous

Debtors Anonymous (DA) is a twelve-step program for people who want to stop incurring unsecured debt. Collectively they attend more than 500 weekly meetings in fifteen countries, according to data released in 2011. Those who compulsively incur unsecured debt are said to be engaged in compulsive borrowing and are known as compulsive debtors.

DA encourages careful record keeping and monitoring of finances—including purchases, income, and debt payments—to get a clear picture of spending habits. This information is used to develop healthier spending practices, supporting one in keeping a reasonable quality of life while still repaying debt. Similarly, DA recommends developing plans for the future to increase income.

DA's program is intended to facilitate a progressive personality change in its members, ultimately transforming their world views and changing their behaviors.

In the mid-1990s, sociologist Terrell A. Hayes conducted in-depth interviews with a convenience and snowball sample of forty-six members of DA Hayes found many of the members interviewed only partially accept the ideology of the organization and that parts of DA's program, such as stigmatizing labels used to describe members, may actually hinder acceptance of DA's ideology. Provided by Wikipedia