The Nov 14 Newcastle Convention was one of the most powerful experiences we have ever had. It was face to face as well as online. Hal and Scott related how they took many people through the steps the old way, the way Bill and Bob did it.
The words of Step Two roll off my lips. “Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.” They are so easy to repeat. I think, “Of course I believe in a Higher Power, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.” I ask myself, “Really?”
When Eddie Rickenbacker’s plane ran out of gas over the Pacific during World War II, he and his crew were in a perilous situation. Adrift on the ocean with three rafts and four oranges, they had to pull together or die.
I’m Barbara, a grateful sexaholic, sober since December 12, 2001 and Essay editor newsletter since March 2007. I’m grateful to the fellowship for allowing me to be of service all these years; this has been one of the biggest blessings of my recovery.
An SA friend had what seemed like an old copy of a book in his pocket. It was all rolled up. It turned out to be the Essay magazine. He asked if I wanted to read it and I said yes. There is a certain nostalgia to getting that paper all rolled up having been used by many people in recovery before me. Me being just the next lucky drunk to get to hold it for a bit.
My first encounter with Essay was in 2016, when I was a couple of months sober from lust. My first sponsor sent me the magazine, along with a step-by-step assignment and other SA literature. Admittedly, the magazine looked unusual—it was a Word file with several translated articles.
How do I encapsulate what the Essay magazine means to me and my recovery? I look forward to each issue like a kid heading to a candy store. I can’t wait to read each and every article, and typically enjoy a good laugh at the cartoons which invariably include nuggets of wisdom that broaden my recovery toolbox.
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.
When considering what artwork to design for this article, my imagination began to view Essay through the digital world (yesterday, today and tomorrow). It seemed appropriate to honor Essay’s digital outreach by designing this article to be read in a way that digital articles are often read, on an Android or Apple device.
One of my favorite Essay articles appeared in Issue Four, 2003. It’s called “Rent-A-Sponsor” and is a very funny (in my opinion) “advertisement” to imaginary SA members who are tired of the old, time-honored methods of working the Program. It offers a new (much) “easier, softer way!”
