What does it mean to be of service to Alateen?
Please share your experiences by commenting on the topic below. The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the person who gave them. Take what you liked and leave the rest. Member sharing on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
This month we’re asking you to share on what does it mean to be of service to Alateen?
Encouraging Alateen meetings and supporting Alateen has long been one of my priorities in Al-Anon. At first I just felt sympathetic of young people who grew up in an alcoholic family – it seemed that they were trapped; an adult can often leave a bad situation but young people usually don’t have that opportunity. Our Al-Anon group supported/encouraged an Alateen group that met nearby; the group was financially self-supporting and we hosted their fundraisers. Where else can they sell their crafts or whatever, to earn money to go to Alateen events? Later I served as sponsor of that Alateen group’s… Read more »
I became an Alateen sponsor at the request of my sponsor. She thought that I needed experience with this type of service and, as usual, she was right. I carried a lot of guilt and shame for having raised my daughter in an alcoholic home. I wanted to make physical amends. The Alateen group in my area is very fortunate to have two meetings: one for younger kids (9 to 13 years old) and a separate one for teenagers. I chose to volunteer for the younger group. At first, I followed in the example of previous sponsors. I painstakingly “crafted”… Read more »
What does it mean to be of service to Alateen? When offered the opportunity to train to be an AMIAS (Adult Member in Alateen Service) I jumped at the chance. I had after all spent many years as a school nurse and really missed the daily interactions with young people. My experience as a teenager was a time of high emotion; confusing, painful and thrilling all at once. Luckily there were a few adults outside of my family that took time to listen to me. They impacted how I saw myself and how I reasoned things out. I began to… Read more »
Serving in Alateen was something I had not foreseen, when I first came to Al-Anon. Teenagers were not my favorite kind of people and I felt very uncomfortable in their presence. When, after a couple of years in the program, there was a need for Alateen sponsors, I said yes to serve, but my heart was not completely in it. I entered a new world, that terrified me for unknown reasons at the time, but a world that taught me great lessons. I got to know those teens and in listening to their sharing, I uncovered few things from my… Read more »