I am a very grateful sexaholic and member of SA. My first experience of SA came in 2006, but unable to see the problem clearly, I left and did not return until 2012. I attended another S-fellowship for a time and saw a friend walking with someone I knew was an SA member. This prompted me to return to SA.

I was reluctant at first, but a miracle happened and I surrendered: to life, to me, to my way of life, and to the slow process of recovery in SA. I was willing to do whatever I had to do to stay sober. In 2014, I attended an EMER Regional Convention in Israel, as well as three conventions in my country, and another in the UK. Lots of gatherings! I was on an SA wave!

Going to Israel and being surrounded by fellowship, the spiritual atmosphere of traveling and hanging out with members was very liberating. I was in awe of the members of the EMER Regional Assembly and Delegates to the GDA. They made me feel so welcome and “part of.” After the convention in Israel, several of us went camping on the lakes of the Sea of Galilee. What a great experience! After this amazing trip, I wrote an article for the Essay.

When this article was published, I was absolutely thrilled—I had never considered myself as a writer, and now this was my first published piece! Things were looking up! Since then, I have sent contributions to the Essay from time to time, of which some were published! I have felt connected to the Essay ever since.

Early in 2018, I found myself unexpectedly named Alternate Delegate for my region and was sent off to attend my first General Delegate Assembly and International Convention in St. Louis in July 2018. After the assembly, the Editor of the Essay came over to me, and asked for my experience of the EMER convention held in my own country the same year, and this piece was also published.

The Essay has given me the opportunity to read about others’ joys and victories, trials, and challenges—and also to throw in some of my own.

At the next GDA and International Convention that I attended (Seattle in July 2019) I noticed some old Essay issues at the literature table and picked up some that I could take back to my home group.

Sometime later I came across these two issues, which I had left aside. One was the year 2000, Issue Two, and in that was Roy K.’s “A New Look at Lust Recovery, Part Two” (December 1999 contained Part One), which is truly a wonderful piece of literature.

The other issue, Fall 1999, gave a synopsis of the Cleveland Clarification decision at the GDA. This is such an important part of SA history. The chair of the GDA at the time, Dorene S., gives a wonderful overview of what happened at that convention:

So, we voted on the one sentence we could all agree on. In a gesture of unity, the Delegates invited the Trustees to vote with us on the new wording. The result was total unanimity: nine Delegates and seven Trustees voted “yes” on that one sentence.

I feel strongly that God was at work in Cleveland. I don’t think any of us expected what actually happened. Yet we all seemed satisfied with the outcome. I think God wanted us to know for sure that the results are in His hands, not ours.

I highly recommend these three back issues (Fall 1999, December 1999, and 2000, Issue Two). They connected me to historic SA events that prepared the way for my recovery years later. SA and Essay have really changed my life.