Feedback Corner
Overheard at the Baltimore Convention: “I have to let others in to make room for myself.”
Feedback Corner
…I agree wholeheartedly [with J.L.’s letter regarding hugging in February ESSAY], it’s sad to say, but it’s such a slippery place whenever angels dare tread. Today I know the difference between my old body-grinder hugs and an appropriate lean forward gentle family hug, but how many newcomers know that!
Feedback Corner
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).…
Feedback Corner
Two women members ask: “We are very interested in knowing the experiences of other groups and members on the matter of hugging between members.”
Editor’s Corner
Every November, the AA Grapevine has what is called its “Classic Issue,” reprinting articles from AA’s past that are relevant to today. The November 1989 issue of the Grapevine has two articles that may be of interest to us in SA.
Editor’s Corner
On May 30, 1989, “Dear Abby” readers were advised: “…Sexaholics Anonymous is based on the principles of Alcoholics Anonymous, and all one needs is sincerity to make it work. There are no dues or fees. Interested parties should write to: Sexaholics Anonymous, P.O. Box 300, Simi Valley, Calif. 93062.”
Feedback Corner
Now I’m dealing with another problem…a spouse who is antagonistic to SA, SLAA, AA, or any other Twelve-Step program because of the references to “higher power,” a feeling that the program doesn’t reflect Christian values, and (probably most important of all) her own fears of having to face the fact that I am, indeed, just like the people she read about in the material from the various groups, addicted to sex and lust.
Feedback Corner
In the last issue of Essay, we published requests for feedback from groups that are experiencing problems or have questions about the way in which meetings should be run. R.B. in Wichita Falls wrote asking how other groups address the problem of a high rate of dropouts, and J.B. in Chicago wrote asking how other groups manage to give everyone enough time to speak.
Feedback Corner
We have been meeting regularly for two years with mixed results. We began with a core group of two and have had ten different people attend meetings at one time or another. Our longest period of sobriety is two years, and our shortest is five days. Some older group members have recently slipped, and one has stopped coming.
Editor’s Corner
A Time For Change. That seems to be the theme in this issue of Essay. Change can be unsettling, but it can also be healthy. Growth involves change, and without healthy growth the organism dies. Growing pains are really an opportunity; that’s what life is all about—the adventure of going where we’ve never gone before, within ourselves first, then, as we grow in recovery and unity, the odyssey of the fellowship itself.
