In the chapter “Overcoming Lust and Temptation,” the White Book emphasizes the vital role that both AA and SA literature play in sustaining our sobriety and recovery, ensuring that there is at least one sober voice at meetings. These texts offer key insights into ourselves and a deeper understanding of the recovery principles. Roy states very clearly that Alcoholics Anonymous and the Twelve and Twelve constitute the basic texts of the original Twelve-Step program (SA 77).
I am greatly honored to have been asked to write the foreword to this issue of the ESSAY on lust.
About a year ago, I was asked to invite members to write articles for another ESSAY edition about women in SA. A few months later, talking about it during breakfast at the International Convention in Krakow, Poland, someone suggested that it would be more interesting to make an issue about women and men finding sobriety together. We are all equal in the Fellowship, and we need each other’s fellowship to achieve recovery as the White Book states in its chapter on “Mixed Meetings” (SA 178-179).
The topic of this edition matches the theme of the upcoming SA & S-Anon International Convention in July in Los Angeles: “Courage to Change.” Many men and women on the convention committee are serving tirelessly to make it an opportunity for you to continue your own change. All information on p. 30.
Hi readers, and happy reading for 2024! In this month’s issue we remember those members of early SA who have since passed away in sobriety; their example attests to the great strength of our program and to the Grace of a loving God in our lives. Their testimonies don’t speak of religion—we don’t pretend to be religious; rather, they illustrate how trust in a loving God, as understood by each one, can help a bunch of drunks like us to stay sober.
We saw that our problem was threefold: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Healing had to come about in all three (SA 204). There are many ways to work on our threefold recovery. In this special edition, members share what has worked for them.
Hi fellows. In this edition of ESSAY, we look at relapse prevention. “We never knew there was another option—surrender” (SA 84). In this quote from the chapter, “The Third Option” in the SA White Book, Roy K. reveals the key to stopping, and staying stopped! He stayed sober from 1976 until his death in September 2009 by practicing surrender. An oldtimer from Chicago explains that surrender is not some complicated, abstract process; it is simply, “executing the suggestions of the sponsor.”
Isn’t it ironic: in our disease, we had no choice but to act out; we simply had to; but in recovery, our hearts change and we have no choice but to reach out—we simply have to. Everyone who gets sober, who begins to experience the fruits of recovery wants, as a natural consequence, to help others get sober, especially newcomers.
Most people take vacation during the months of July and August. Some take short city breaks; others go for lazy beach holidays; still others prefer weeks of hiking and trekking. Of course, people travel for a whole variety of reasons and at any time of the year—work, to visit family and friends, for religious or other personal reasons.
In this month’s issue, members share the miracles of their recovery, enjoying freedom from the toxic power of lust by the humble working of this program. A Ukrainian lady shares how sobriety helped her to overcome crippling defects of character.
