At EMER’s first Regional Convention in Warsaw in 2013, five women met from five countries (Luxembourg, Ireland, Holland, Spain, Poland). We had never met before, and most of us were the only women in our home meetings. This was a wonderful experience, and we started two projects: a Women’s Skype meeting and an EMER Support for Women Committee. Both of these are still up and running and doing great. Some of us met again at the second EMER Convention in Jerusalem in May 2014, and that helped to cement our friendship.

This time around, in May 2015 in Birmingham, we all met once again—the original five of plus a few more. It is amazing how we have grown to know and support each other. This time we spent a lot of time together eating, sharing at meetings, and enjoying the lovely terrace and views from the hotel. We all feel our sobriety has gained a lot from this network of women that we are creating around Europe and the Middle East.