January 13 – 15, 2012, Newark, NJ

Two years ago, I was wondering what I could do to bring my recovery to a new level. I wanted to get past the phase of just not acting out. I wanted to get closer to my Higher Power. I wanted to do service, but I didn’t know where to begin.

Then in January 2009, I attended the Nashville International Convention. I was uplifted by the speakers’ messages and all the recovery I saw there. I decided it was time for me to get involved. I took the leap of faith. I called SAICO and volunteered to chair a convention, and I asked what I should do.

At the time, I was clueless about what might be involved in running a convention—but the journey for the past two years has been amazing! To be involved for 22 months in spreading the SA message to those who are still suffering has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Today I feel that all of my years of acting out and all of my struggles in recovery were worthwhile if they enabled me to be part of this incredible journey. To be involved with 700 people and see them get excited about recovery in one weekend—and knowing that God allowed me to be part of the process—has been a huge blessing.

This is not to say that we had no challenges. Midstream in our planning process, the hotel changed management personnel, and three months prior to the conference we had to re-negotiate our year-old contract with them. This was a shock to me, and the new manager was tough! Once I got angry and sent her a strong e-mail. I thought that my message was stated kindly, but looking back, it was one of those e-mails I should never have sent. For some reason though, the e-mail bounced back with an error message. After two tries I thought that God maybe did not want it sent.

The following Monday, after I had calmed down, the hotel manager told me that the company had changed her e-mail address, and not to send her e-mails. I was blown away by God’s intervention. At that point my focus changed. I realized “This is God’s conference, not Alan’s.” That change of attitude was by far the greatest gift I received as convention Chair.

Actually, we did not reach an agreement or sign the new contract until four days before the conference, but I wasn’t concerned because I believed all along that things would be all right. I felt humbled and grateful to see God’s handiwork unfold in front of my eyes. The key for me was to remember two things. First, I had to constantly remember that I am a sexaholic and my thinking is not trustworthy. I knew I needed to stay out of the way and let God take over. Thus, 99% of the decisions were made through the group conscience process. Second, I needed to remember that even though I was working with other sexaholics, it was our Higher Power (not we sexaholics) who was really in control. As Step One says “we” admitted, I needed the conference to be a “we” program. With these thoughts in mind, I was able to feel serenity amidst the hustle and bustle of preparation. I also kept in daily contact with my sponsor, as well as with the International Committee and Conference Committee Chairs.

As the convention drew nearer, I received an increasing number of calls; people wanting to find out all sorts of stuff. There were many first-timers who didn’t know what to expect. All I heard in their voice was: “Help, I want recovery, I heard it is being offered this weekend, how do I get there, how do I get involved?” God changed my hearing, because I didn’t consider the calls burdensome. They were a gift from God telling me (a sick minded sexaholic) how important the work was.

Through the years, I’ve heard members share how they jump-started their programs by attending International conventions. A member in our local group had only two hours of sobriety when he attended his first conference five years ago, and he’s been sober ever since. I love conventions because they’ve been proven to be so helpful to our recovery.

These wonderful events take place twice a year. Get involved! I guarantee you that your Higher Power will show you the way. It’s not difficult (and like me, you don’t need much experience!).

Thanks to all of you for your participation in the convention. We could not have done it without you!

God Bless,