Table of Contents

July Articles Online

About Grapevine
Vol. 65 No. 2

Editor's Note

Dear Reader,

In an address to AA's General Service Conference some years ago, Jim Estelle, former chair of the General Service Board and one-time director of Texas' Department of Corrections, spoke of how critical connecting with ex-offenders on their release day is for AAs on both sides of the prison wall. Describing how much apprehension about acceptance in our "free world" groups an inmate can harbor, Jim asserts, "It goes without saying that if he doesn't make the first meeting, he'll never make the second or any others." Pointing to the challenges and rewards of this Twelfth Step work, he asserts, "I know of no other group than prisoners in greater need of what you have to give -- love, sobriety, life itself in many cases." The stories in this month's special section highlight how much this group gives back in return.

From the
AudioGrapevine...


Listen to the Editor's Note
on the AudioGrapevine
[MP3, 1MB]

In the letter "Ghost of Drinking Past," quiet sharing from a man who did time for vehicular homicide underscores the fatal force of alcoholism and makes it clear that any one of us could have been in his place. Describing the privilege of helping others, the author of "Concrete and Razor Wire" reminds us that "the Twelve Steps don't cease to work when they run into concrete, steel, and razor wire." With five more years to serve, he knows, "If I am going to serve God, I am going to do it today wherever I am." Other writers, including the author of "From 'They' to 'We,'" who perseveres in service even when there are "so few who look like me," demonstrate a similar spirit. So do the men and women who have asked the Grapevine to produce this perfect-bound issue, so they can take it to alcoholics in institutions that prohibit stapled material.

This issue also honors the 50th anniversary of ICYPAA (International Conference of Young People in AA) with stories by alcoholics who got sober in their early twenties. Once suicidal, the author of "Lost in Translation" gives thanks for the love and acceptance he found in his first meeting. It gave him hope that he could live a meaningful life under the caring eye of a Higher Power; he now passes that hope on to us with his story -- a service for which we can all be grateful.

In fellowship,
The Editor
Tell me what you think of the magazine.

Tell a friend about this page