I need to tell you something about myself: I’m a tightwad, a penny-pincher, a moneygrubbing cheapskate. There, I’ve said it. I used to prefer sex with self, mainly because that was the cheapest option.

And then a few months ago I was confronted with “Gratitude Week.” Gratitude Week is meant to commemorate the first two consecutive SA meetings, which were held on February 4th and 11th, 1979. The motion to celebrate Gratitude Week originated at an EMER Assembly in March 2013 and was passed unanimously.

During EMER’s Gratitude Week, individuals, groups, and Intergroups are invited to contribute money directly to SAICO. Members are encouraged to find creative ways to raise money, like passing the hat a second time at meetings or making a personal donation online.

One idea is for members to make an extra contribution to SA’s “expanding worldwide Twelfth Step work” (SA 183), equaling the amount they spent on their addiction in a 24-hour span. The idea has caught on in many EMER groups. In fact, last year the amount raised by EMER was over $4,300!

I sometimes like to think, “Sex with self cost me nothing!” But it actually cost more than that; it cost me my work, my wife and my family. I won’t tell you how much I donated to SAICO this year, but I will say it was enough to make a penny-pinching miser like me feel uncomfortable. And I encourage all members to do the same each year, as we celebrate Gratitude Week.