From Our Readers

Gambling I got hooked on gambling at the age of 23. It made my life very miserable for years. Nothing seemed to be able to help me stop. However, I chanced upon your magazine. (September 8, 1987) It helped me to quit the dirty habit. Thank you.

T. M. E., Zambia

Preemies I am confined to home, caring for my mother, who recently suffered a stroke. Thus, I cannot do a great deal in the door-to-door preaching work. However, I shared the February 22, 1989, issue with a visiting nurse. She thanked me profusely for it. She works in a neonatal unit and shared the articles with three or four of her coworkers. They all thoroughly enjoyed them. One of them said, “These are some of the problems we are facing, but I have never seen them in print before.”

V. G., United States

Same-Sex Crushes I am 14 years of age and have felt myself attracted to persons of the same sex. I imagined myself to be completely abnormal and that no one else was in such a dilemma. The article (April 8, 1989) helped me to see that other youths were in the same situation and pointed out what steps to take so as to avoid homosexuality.

H. M., Austria

When I was eight or nine years old, I engaged in sexual play with my best friend. At that time I thought it was harmless. But as I got older, I saw how wrong and shameful it was, and I felt very guilty. I am very thankful that this topic was discussed. It has helped to relieve a lot of long-lasting guilt to know that “Jehovah forgives in a large way.” I will continue to exercise self-control.

E. G., United States

AIDS In your March 8, 1989, issue, you publish a letter from a reader that suggests a probability of “mosquito-transmitted AIDS.” Your editorial comment did not challenge this statement. However, a widely distributed brochure by the U.S. surgeon general says, “You won’t get AIDS from a mosquito bite . . . or other insects, either.” Some readers of that issue of Awake! may thus now be unnecessarily scared of mosquitoes as AIDS carriers.

P. G., United States

Most AIDS researchers agree that it is possible for a mosquito to harbor the virus by taking blood from an infected victim. However, there is no evidence that the AIDS virus replicates within the insect, as do yellow fever and other insect-borne viruses. Thus, the mosquito seems incapable of transmitting AIDS. Nevertheless, that the matter is not conclusively settled is indicated by a report in “Science” magazine (July 1987), which asks: “Can the AIDS virus be transmitted by insects? The answer seems to be no but not a completely emphatic no. Scientists want to leave the door of possibility slightly ajar. But they insist that if insect transmission is a factor in the spread of AIDS, it is an insignificant one.”​—ED.

Depression I am now 20 years old, and I just want to say thanks for your articles. (October 22, 1987) I have been through some rough times, and the articles have helped me out a lot.

C. W., United States

Courtship Your article (February 22, 1989) impressed on my mind the seriousness and the responsibility of courtship. I am now courting, and I hope it will culminate in a successful marriage.

G. V., Mexico