EDITOR'S NOTE

"I was on the other side of the world, but I was home," writes the author of "On the Road," recalling his relief at finding an AA meeting in an unfamiliar city. He also was describing the bond that springs from our common suffering, and the fellowship that is forged as we heal. Two other stories in this issue echo that theme. Explaining what it is like to be caught in the "asphyxiating grip" of alcoholism in Camaroon, West Africa and of seeing "whole lives swept down the drain into oblivion," the author of "Out of Africa" lets us feel the program's power to transcend barriers like age, culture and place. Recalling how AA took root in Izmir once the Big Book was available in Turkish, "On the Shores of the Aegean" helps us understand that we are part of a far-reaching Fellowship, about two million drunks all over the world.