Readers share their own stories

EACH week our inbox is filled with letters but the past few issues have sparked some extraordinary responses.

EACH week our inbox is filled with letters but the past few issues have sparked some extraordinary responses.

The feature "Dear alcohol" struck a chord: "alcohol destroyed my childhood", one reader said, while others wrote about losing their husbands to alcoholism.

Kate Legge's story about secrets in marriage had a similarly heartfelt response: readers discovering their partners are gay, or that their husband has had children from an affair. One woman wrote at her distress at finding sexually explicit photos of her parents.

And Nikki Gemmell's column about the Gillard era attracted a deluge, indicating the strong feelings from both sides of this issue.

We can't publish all your letters, but you'd be surprised how many feed ideas for upcoming features.