The Tucson SA Fellowship approved the enclosed statement for local use with newcomers. In fact, we have printed it on the back of our Step 1 Guide, which we give to newcomers along with the SA brochure. We thought you might like to report this development and/or print the entire statement in the ESSAY.

God grant me the sobriety to seek the truth from you;
the faith to trust the answer;
and the strength to follow through.

Hi all:
I’ve been overwhelmed with “life” lately, so I haven’t responded to many topics. This one — surrender — caught my eye. Surrender is an impossibility. Asking me to “surrender” makes as much sense as asking me to stop breathing. Running rampant is a natural state for me.

When I was a little girl about five years old, I remember sitting on my grandfather’s lap and combing his hair. It gave me such happy, good feelings. My grandfather died when I was seven. I had trouble in school from that time on. I couldn’t concentrate, I would daydream, and I had headaches. I was a very lonely child after I lost that special relationship. I didn’t know how to get that love from anyone else, so I comforted myself in my fantasies where I was a fairy princess and my Prince Charming would come and carry me off.

Recently inquiries were sent to all prison inmates who have requested correspondence from SA members. Inquiries were also sent to all SA members who have offered to write inmates. The results of these inquiries are as follows: 25 SA members are actively corresponding with 67 inmates in 20 states.

Recently, I was listening to a tape from a recent International Conference. The speaker on the tape talked about things they found helpful in their recovery. They spoke of attending meetings, having a sponsor, Step work, phone calls, etc. This all seemed, to me, like good SA information.

The Literature Committee has announced that work has begun on a new SA book. The working title is “A Twelve and Twelve for SA.” The Sponsoring Editor will be working first on Steps One through Four. Members who would like to share in writing their thoughts about these steps are encouraged to send their manuscripts to Central Office.

The ESSAY strives to be a source of experience, strength, and hope to sexaholics as one part of our Fellowship’s Twelfth Step work. The ESSAY is also a source of information about Fellowship activities and needs. The ESSAY is issued four times per year. Expanding the ESSAY’s circulation will also expand the range of articles, letters to the editor, and special sections to benefit our readers.

My name is William R. My sobriety date is June 12, 1993. I live in the state of Washington, USA. Since January 1998, I have served Sexaholics Anonymous as the Correctional Facilities Coordinator.

Shortly after I entered Sexaholics Anonymous some fellow sexaholics mentioned making a “daily contract” for sobriety. During the first few weeks of sobriety I hardly needed a contract. I was so scared and miserable that sobriety was my only option. My second marriage was near an end, my acting out would cause me to quickly lose my job and I simply felt hopeless.

I live in a small town. For a year, I drove 85 miles one way to an SA meeting, and I still do so. I had wanted to start a meeting for a while, but how was I going to get the word out and who would come to this kind of meeting? I had been going to various other 12-Step meetings to hear the Steps and recovery. I got frustrated because all they talked about was drinking, drinking, drinking, and that was not MY problem!

It’s hard for me to talk about the benefits of maintaining sexual sobriety. But I can compare it to some things in the natural world.

The SA/S-Anon International Convention, held in Orange in January 2001, was one of the most successful ever. Attendance reached an all-time high. Participants were enthusiastic in their praise of the setting, the sharing and the fellowship.

I had to face the fact that in my marriage I didn’t know what intimacy without sex looked like. I was always seeking to create intimacy so I could get my wife to have sex with me. Just like I did with the girlfriends that preceded her. Our sexual encounters usually came out of the “connect with me and make me whole” syndrome. They created a false intimacy that soon evaporated, often leaving exposed the underlying emotions that made us feel like we had to be sexual with one another in the first place. And I was usually left with a craving for more….

We have changed our name to Sexaholics Anonymous Correctional Facilities Committee (SACFC). It was felt this name provided a clearer description of the work of the committee.

I discovered how great the recovery readings are when someone loaned me the 2000, Issue One edition with writings of Jesse L. So, now I want more inspirational recovery reading. Here is my subscription for the ESSAY. Keep up the great work!

Many of you have known and received orders for literature from Barbara, the Empress of Shipping here at Central Office. Barbara decided to retire and take a well-earned rest. We wish her the very best.

Dorene S., ESSAY editor for the last year, has decided to turn to other projects.

Need: Often a sponsee will have a problem that does not readily yield to the sponsor’s efforts or that is outside his or her knowledge or recovery experience or ability to deal with it. In such cases, there can be great wisdom and breakthrough by bringing the issue to a small, select group of trusted members, together, under God.

To All My Fellow SA Members,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you that has reached into his or her pocket to help the Sexaholics Anonymous Correctional Facilities Committee (SACFC). It may not seem like a lot to you, but believe me, for those of us in prison, it can be the only lifesaver we will ever get.