Participation in Al‑Anon meetings can have profound effects on a person’s mental health and improve their quality of life. In the 2021 Al‑Anon Membership Survey, participants were asked to rank their mental health on scale of one to seven. Participating members scored an average of 3.14 prior to attending Al‑Anon meetings and 5.8 on the day they took the survey.

A deeper dive into the topic of mental health revealed that:

• 83% of members reported improvement in their mental health within the first year.
• 93% of members with four or more years of Al‑Anon involvement indicate improved mental health, with about two out of three indicating significant improvement.
• Nearly 97% of those surveyed indicated they attend at least one meeting per week. Results showed that when members attended more than one meeting per week, they rated a nine percent higher improvement in their mental health score than those who attended only once per week.

If you work with people who have been affected by someone else’s alcohol abuse or misuse and would like to know more about Al‑Anon before referring them to the program, please consider visiting a physical or virtual meeting marked as “Families, Friends, and Observers Welcome.”

For teenagers affected by someone’s drinking, we offer Alateen meetings.