PO Box 1980

The July issue is just fabulous!--especially the articles regarding pen pals and sponsorship via mail.

I've been enjoying and benefiting from a mail relationship for over three years. My friend was there when I came into AA, but nine months after I arrived, she and her husband moved to Nevada. We've been corresponding once or twice a week ever since. She has nine years of sobriety, and I have three and three-quarters.

When times are good, our letters are light chatty. When times are troublesome, the letters are longer, more frequent, and into the books. We refer to the Big Book, the "Twelve and Twelve," As Bill Sees It, and articles on alcoholism in magazines or newspapers. I consider her my sponsor, and we have an open and sharing-type communication. We each get the Grapevine and talk about it often.

Recently, my husband and I left the area I sobered up in. I felt as though my life was up for grabs, and a lot of fear entered again. I left all the people who had come to mean so much to me. The one stable thing during all the months of upheaval was my friend in Nevada and our letters. She was there coaching and guiding and encouraging me. She had trod the same path three years before and shared her experience, strength, and hope.

Now, I'd like to acquire an additional pen pal--perhaps a woman who is incarcerated or is unable to get out of her house.

Editor's note: We passed along the writer's name and address to the Institutions Correspondence Service at the AA General Service Office.