I assume I’m writing to the Central Office. I’m so thankful I received the big white envelope with ESSAY. I was really needing it. After my father died, two weeks ago, I started acting out again. I was perplexed, and numb with fear, I prayed to God for a miracle. The next day I got the envelope in the mail. Hope is renewed again.

As always, my deepest thanks to you and the Central Office staff for all your hard work and dedication to this life-saving program of Sexaholics Anonymous. Without your efforts, passing the message on, something very necessary for my sobriety and indeed my very existence, would be very difficult. I want to reiterate my appreciation and ask God’s Blessing on you all at the Simi Valley office.

Thanks so much for your letter. I was feeling down, and my addiction was being painfully felt. Your note called me back to the program and my recovery. A few minutes later the phone rang, and I was offered a rather suggestive invitation. I was nervous, afraid, etc., but refused. Your note had just given me the strength I needed to be faithful to my deepest self. Thanks.

Last Sunday I celebrated one year of sexual sobriety, due completely to my magnanimous Higher Power and the Program (SA) He has placed in my life. Transformed one-day-at-a-time from a totally hopeless, spiritually anemic person into a hopeful, significant part of His Plan, I am of all people most blessed. Thank you.

Giles and I have formed a group of two and are eager to welcome new members. We have been meeting for about three months.

Greetings from all of us in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Our group is doing well. Lately we average 8-12 each meeting and slowly growing. For me, personally, it was a door out of hell. After three years in another 12-Step program, I was finally “forced” to learn what surrender really meant! What deliverance.

…I would like to take this opportunity to let you know how we are faring in San Diego county. In the seven months that I have been associated with SA, I have witnessed incredible growth, in our numbers as well as our sobriety. One of our largest meetings (Friday Night Men’s) recently had to change locations to accommodate its growth.

It continues to be exciting here in Middle Tennessee watching the growth of SA. We are now up to 17 meetings per week, which does not include some of the meetings in locations outside the city limits of Nashville.

This is the Lancaster’s Monday evening group of SA’s donation. We are a grateful lot of desert rats who appreciate our program and the sobriety it has brought us. Thanks for your support.

Sobriety, love, serenity growing daily as well as meetings and number of members. Please accept this being my last check for now as treasurer of the Monday Rochester, NY, SA “Into Action” and I’ll be the new literature chairman. A year, I believe, is a good time to move on to a new job. I forget at times, but God, or other members, always seem to remind me.

The Providence, RI, group continues to thrive and has a consistent six to eight members in attendance every week.…

Since, to our knowledge, S-Anon International Family Groups has no publication of its own, we hope it might be proper to address a few comments and a question to our brother/sister organization’s publication ESSAY.

Recovery Continues is now available for eight dollars plus postage and handling. The following is the contents of this 97-page book:

Speaking for myself, I am against hugging in SA almost completely. About the only time I have ever initiated a hug in my years in SA was a few times after a person had given a very intense and difficult, for them, First Step to the group. But, even in such a case, I would rather not hug if it is a woman member (I’m male).…

“Dear Friends! May the Hope and Joy of Recovery be with you in the U.S.A. as it is here in Hochstenbach near Bonn.”

The following thoughts came to me recently when I had to observe how newly elected members left the Service Committee after a short period of time because they could not maintain their sobriety. Four members of the old Service Committee did not stand for reelection at this present term of office. The Fellowship elected five new SA friends to take their place. Out of these new Service Committee members, four lost their sobriety and all of them left the Service Committee before the term was over.

I’d like to share something very personal, very much my own experience. It’s a rather recent awareness, and I’m not sure what it all means, except that it’s at the center of my life today.

I just came back from a retreat hosted by our local SA groups. It was open to members of another sexual recovery fellowship. Here are some observations.

…I enjoyed last week’s meeting and appreciated your sharing. I reflected afterwards on how I reached bottom and how I knew I was having a problem. I believed I was fighting against nature. I started to believe I would lose my battle.

…I have been able to maintain my sexual sobriety for five and a half months now with the help of God, meetings and the literature, which really means applying the Steps in my life each day in all my affairs. I have not had a great deal of trouble in those five months except at certain times and when they did come, it was very difficult but I want my sexual sobriety very much and am in touch with God constantly.