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.

For me personally the SA program is my whole life. I have been a member of Sexaholics Anonymous since 1984. I wrote a letter to Roy K. and asked him if he would be willing to assist me in starting an SA group in the Texas Prison System. God (my Higher Power) helped me get the “okay” for our group from the prison warden through the Catholic chaplain. The chaplain then gave up his free time to serve as the official sponsor of our meetings. Roy reached into his own pocket and paid the cost of sending us the SA handbooks and information we needed to start our group.

Back then I had no way of knowing where the path of recovery was going to take me. Nor did I know for sure if I could get my addiction under control. Being a homosexual, prison did not serve as a barrier to finding willing sex partners. But once I really started working the SA program I stopped acting out.

I sincerely believe that my Higher Power used the SA program to save my life. I have now been locked up over 20 years [of a life sentence]. How do I bear it? By knowing the truth that if I had not gotten locked up back in early 1980, I would be dead. There is just no way that I could have kept on with the style of life I was living without getting AIDS.

So I now owe my whole life to the SA program. It has not only saved my life—it has also given me a way to do God’s work. I write to other prisoners that are just starting to work on their recovery and I try to help them find the path of full recovery and the path of the SA program. I tell them things that help me walk this path and I tell them how God can help them live stress free in prison.

I know I have become long-winded, but I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you very much for caring and thank you very much for sharing with us in prison. A lot of times it seems like we forget to tell you people how much it means to know that there are people out there that do care and are willing to reach out with a helping hand. So please accept my letter as a personal thank you on behalf of every prisoner that has been helped by the SACFC.

One last word—we all would like to thank the SACFC for the wonderful job they are now doing.

Sincerely yours,

[Editor’s note: Ed N. started the first SA group in a prison.]