In October the Baltimore/Washington SA Intergroup held its 8th Annual SA/S-Anon Marathon. The location alternates each year between Baltimore and Washington, D.C. and this year’s Marathon was held in the Washington area. The theme this year was “Came to Believe.”

The day began with a Speakers’ Meeting featuring readings from SA and S-Anon, the Serenity Prayer, and sharing on the theme “Came to Believe” by three SA members and three S-Anon members from the region. The Speakers’ Meeting was followed by two sets of five breakout sessions (four for SA and one for S-Anon) on topics ranging from “Comprehending Serenity/Knowing Peace” to “Basics of Getting a Sponsor & Taking the First Step.”

The afternoon breakout meetings were followed by the closing Speakers’ Meeting, where an SA and an S-Anon member shared on the topic “God is Doing for Us What We Could Not Do for Ourselves.” The day ended with an opportunity for all members to share their thoughts, feelings, and reflections on the day, followed by closing readings and the Lord’s Prayer.

This year’s Marathon was an opportunity for us SAs and S-Anons to come together for one day and share our pain and our joy as we recover from our disease One Day at a Time. It was a shared celebration of victory over our disease and through victory, our coming to believe that our Higher Power can restore us to sanity.