Prisons

TWENTY years ago, I was asked if I would do a share at Swansea prison so why not? The old timers always told me to carry the message. I have for most of my life worked on building sites as a bricky. When I went to the AA meeting in the prison, I knew two of the inmates from the building sites. They had a big shock to see me in an AA meeting, they knew me as a hard worker and a heavy drinker. We had a good meeting, I enjoyed it and the inmates did too.  The person who asked me to share at the meeting rang me up a couple of days later and asked me if I could go back into the prison the following week as he couldn’t make it, so in I went. As I said, that was twenty years ago and I’m still doing it.

I have carried the message over those years to all the prisons in South Wales and enjoyed every meeting I have been to. Some make it to the Rooms of AA, some don’t, but the seed has been planted. I sponsor two former inmates - one is eight years dry and the other four years. Sadly because of Covid-19 we can’t go into prisons, but I write and send SHARE and Grapevine to an inmate so I’m still carrying the message, just like the old timers told me to do.

Myself and the other two volunteers are looking forward to going back into the prison and I know the inmates are looking forward to seeing us. Sadly, we still don’t know when. Take care everybody.

TOM E, Penarth Sunday Night Group