Is Device Dependency Anonymous for You?

Only you can decide whether you want to give DDA a try -
whether you think it can help you.

We, who are in DDA, came because we finally gave up trying to control our device dependency. We still hated to admit that we could never jump safely without the use of devices. Then we heard from other DDA members that we were sick. (We thought so for years!) We found out that many people suffered from the same feelings of guilt and loneliness and hopelessness that we did. We found out that we had these feelings because we had the disease of device dependency.

We decided to try and face up to what devices had done to us. Here are some of the questions we tried to answer honestly. If we answered YES to four or more questions, we were in deep trouble with our device dependency. See how you do. Remember, there is no disgrace in facing up to the fact that you have a problem.

1 - Have you ever decided to stop using devices forever, but only lasted for a couple of jumps?

Most of us in DDA made all kinds of promises to ourselves and to our families. We could not keep them. Then we came to DDA. DDA said: "Just try not to use devices today." (If you do not use devices today, you cannot be dependent on them today.)

2 - Do you wish people would mind their own business about your device dependency-- stop telling you what to do?

3 - Have you ever switched from one kind of device to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting device dependent?

We tried all kinds of ways. We tried audible altimeters instead of visual altimeters. You name it, we tried it. But if we used any device, we usually became dependent.

4 - Have you had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?

Do you need a device to jump? This is a pretty sure sign that you are device dependent.

5 - Do you envy people who can jump without devices, without getting into trouble?

At one time or another, most of us have wondered why we were not like most people, who really can take it or leave it.

6 - Have you had problems connected with devices during the past year?

Be honest! Jumpmasters say that if you have a problem with device dependency and keep on using devices, it will get worse -- never better. Eventually, you will die, or end up in an institution for the rest of your life. The only hope is to stop being dependent on devices.

7 - Has your device dependency caused trouble at home?

Before we came into DDA, most of us said that it was the people or problems at home that made us use devices. We could not see that our device dependency just made everything worse. It never solved problems anywhere or anytime.

8 - Do you ever try to get "extra" devices at a Boogie because you do not get enough?

Most of us used to have a few devices before we started out. And if devices were not available for demo jumps, fast enough, we would go some place else to get more.

9 - Do you tell yourself you can stop depending on devices any time you want to, even though you keep getting dependent on devices when you don't mean to?

Many of us kidded ourselves into thinking that we used devices because we wanted to. After we came into DDA, we found out that once we started to depend on devices, we couldn't stop.

10 - Have you missed jumps because of device dependency?

Many of us admit now that we "scratched from a load" lots of times when the truth was that we were lost without an altimeter or AAD.

11 - Have you ever felt that your life would be better if you did not depend on devices?

Many of us started to use devices because devices made jumps seem better, at least for a while. By the time we got into DDA, we felt trapped. We were using devices to live.

What is your score?

Did you answer YES four or more times? If so, you are probably in trouble with device dependency. Why do we say this? Because thousands of people in DDA have said so for many years. They found out the truth about themselves - the hard way.

But again, only you can decide whether you think DDA is for you. Try to keep an open mind on the subject. If the answer is YES, we will be glad to show you how we stopped depending on devices ourselves. Just call.

DDA does not promise to solve your life's problems. But we can show you how we are learning to live without devices one jump at a time. We stay away from that first device. If there is no first one, there cannot be a tenth one. And when we got rid of device dependency, we found that life became much more manageable.