My first meeting was on October 11, 2011 and by the grace of God I’ve stayed sober since. In the beginning I found joy in my home group in Barcelona. I was the only woman with about five or six men. They were very nice to me and helped me to stay sober. After some time, I started to feel isolated as I saw that the men used to do activities together and had a special relationship among them, which I wanted too. It was a very lonely time as there were no other women in Spain.

In 2013, I went to a convention in Poland and met other women, which was a great joy. We started a Skype meeting and WhatsApp group, which kept us united. More women started to arrive in SA Spain, which was great for me. We also started S-Anon.

I got involved in a lot of service in the Spanish Intergroup, where I was mostly in contact with men, and the collaboration went well. However, during my service I met women from other parts of Spain and Europe, and came to realize I felt more comfortable with them—I identified more and felt at ease.

For the last 3 years I have been more focused on building relationships with the women in SA, especially the Spanish ones as they live closer and I can keep in contact with them more often. My gratitude partner is from Germany and my sponsor from Luxembourg, and I have a few sponsees from other European countries.

I realize now that, even though I like to be in contact with the male members because they are my brothers, I do feel much safer and comfortable, and I identify more with SA women; I laugh with them and we understand each other.

I’ve found a new joy in the Fellowship through my deepening relationship with the women in SA. I love spending time with them and sharing our journey of recovery together. I feel I belong among these wonderful group of sisters.