The International Al-Anon General Services Meeting (IAGSM) is held biennially. The International Coordination Committee (ICC) invites Delegates from all the General Service Offices (GSOs) to attend. Each GSO can elect two International Delegates to participate in the IAGSM. Every four years, the IAGSM is held in the US, and the biennial meeting is held in a country outside of the US. The GSOs submit bids to host the IAGSM, and the ICC and IAGSM Delegates vote to select the host country. The 2026 IAGSM will be held this fall in Slovenia.
This humble structure shares on their decision to host:
When Slovenia contemplated hosting and organizing the 2026 International Al-Anon General Services Meeting (IAGSM), we first asked ourselves, “Why?” The answer didn’t come out of any statistics about our community; it was born of our gratitude and the experiences that have shaped us over the past 35 years of living and working the Al-Anon program in Slovenia and throughout Europe and attending IAGSMs in the US. We understand the quality of life we’ve managed to develop is both a privilege and a responsibility.
The Slovenian Al-Anon community is small. There are few of us, only a few groups, and the reality we live in is challenging. Alcoholism is strongly present, and its effects reach deep into families and society. That’s precisely why we, as family members, have developed an exceptional determination not to push the pain aside. In practicing the principles we found in the Al-Anon program, we’ve learned that sharing our stories and revealing secrets can provide us with valuable insights, and that inaction can quietly paralyze us—either as individuals or as a community. As individuals at meetings, we open up about our pain, air it out, and process it into compost, new ground that creates conditions for renewed growth. We continue life in recovery, with patience and inner strength, reframing the residue of our past hardships.
As a community, we live in a mostly rural environment, and the Al-Anon program we bring into our daily lives teaches and affirms simple truths. For survival and quality of life, there’s no room for procrastination. What needs to be done needs to be done. This means taking the bull by the horns, confronting even the most difficult tasks, and persevering. It’s precisely in these moments of confrontation that a person truly changes and grows—both in their personal life and within our community. That’s why, as a small community, it seemed natural to us to take on a big task. Organizing a conference like the IAGSM is perhaps one of the most demanding forms of service within Al-Anon. That’s exactly why we recognized it as an opportunity for learning and growth. Every step of preparation is a practice grounded in cooperation, humility, and trust in the structure’s process.
Why hold the IAGSM in Slovenia? Because we want to translate our gratitude into action. Because this is our Twelfth Step in serving the worldwide Al-Anon family. And because this September, at Lake Bled, we want to open a space where people from all over the world can come together, because we believe in collective growth, because what we are striving for and gathering for in Al-Anon all over the world is something great.
By Slovenia GSO
The Forum, June 2026
“Inside Al-Anon Family Groups” presents news, policy, and commentary from volunteers, staff and readers sharing experience through service. Please feel free to reprint these articles on your service structure website or newsletter, along with this credit line: Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.