Reflect on your personal experience as a newcomer to Al‑Anon
January’s topic is, “Reflect on your personal experience as a newcomer to Al‑Anon.”
As always, you can also write about Al‑Anon’s three Legacies. This month features Step One, Tradition One, and Concept One.
Sharings on the Member Blog may be used in future Al‑Anon publications.
New topics are being added each month!
Welcoming! When I first started going to meetings the first thing I felt was that I belonged. I felt at home with this group of strangers. Al-Anon’s Suggested Closing says “…though you may not like all of us, you’ll love us in a very special way–the same way we already love you.” When it is read at every meeting, it resonates with me. The other members encourage me, comfort me, and share their experience, strength, and hope with me. I love my homegroup and attend every week, but I enjoy visiting other meetings too and hearing what their members have… Read more »
I was not a joiner. I was a Lone Ranger. I was a chronic people-pleaser. I was complacent until I exploded with anger toward those closest to me. I was only able to walk through the doors of my first meeting because a person I held in high esteem had shared that she attended meetings. I didn’t know why I went and I didn’t know why I stayed but I felt the love in the rooms so I kept going back. I eventually found out that my paternal grandfather was a raging and violent alcoholic. Even so, I still didn’t… Read more »
I went to my first meeting 23 years ago because I had a nervous breakdown and the alcoholic in my life suggested I go. I was desperate so I didn’t think it could hurt. I was a nervous wreck and couldn’t manage my life so I thought they would tell me it wasn’t the right place for me. I don’t remember a whole lot from that meeting but I do remember the warmth and acceptance I felt. I also remember one woman’s sharing about being suicidal and yet she seemed so happy and confident. I later asked her to be… Read more »
I remember coming to Al-Anon in the late nineties and I was young. I looked around and saw lots of people who were older than I was at the time. Ah, and there rose my first reservation. I noticed it was 98% women, and they were sitting and laughing with one another. It appeared to be a big 12 step sorority. I was a staunch “non-joiner” who had grown up in a family with active alcoholism, addiction, and mental illness. Not only did I not want to belong to this family, I wasn’t convinced that I wanted to belong to… Read more »
I came to Al-Anon many years ago, but I remember my coming to Al-Anon as if it was yesterday. I was sent to Al-Anon by my sober husband, an active AA member. He sent me to Al-Anon so I could learn to mind my business, as he put it. I was attending AA meetings with him and never missed an occasion to remind him what was said at the meetings, asking if he had done his readings, etc. As it was then, I was rather insulted by his reasoning, so I was not a happy camper when I came to… Read more »
I came to Al-anon because I was out of control, yelling at my small kids, and always exhausted. Yet to the outside world, everything was fine with me and my family. The first time I walked into a meeting, I don’t know if I was more afraid I would know someone or that I would not know anyone. I did not know anyone. I had no idea what they were talking about. I knew I wanted what they had. They seemed to like each other and there was laughter. I was told to come back 6 times before I decide… Read more »
One warm Sunday afternoon, my neighbor across the street saw my husband collapse onto the grass after he got out of the passenger door of our car. She quickly came and asked if he was alright, thinking that he may have fainted or had a heart attack. I replied that he was drunk, not ill. She told me about an Al-Anon meeting 9:30 Thursday mornings at a church in a nearby community. I knew that Al-Anon was a support group for family members of problem drinkers/alcoholics and decided to attend their next meeting. Thursday morning came and I drove to… Read more »
When I came to Al-Anon, I realized that it was a place for me!!! Previously, many of my decisions were influenced by my obsession with the potential impact my choices had on others. I wanted to please others and then I would consider myself. At my first meeting, I heard and grasped on to the fact that I was there for me. As I continue my recovery, making myself a priority (after considering my Higher Power’s will for me) still affects my friends and family, but I am a healthier person. I continue to be grateful to Al-Anon. I make… Read more »
Just yesterday, I was thinking about Al-Anon meetings and the importance of trying six meetings when you first start out. My very first meeting was on Christmas Eve 2014. It was raining really hard, I was soaked, and wasn’t sure if I was in the right place as I heard people laughing. I almost turned around and left but I’m so thankful I didn’t. The meeting was exactly what I needed. The laughter surprised me; I thought everyone was going to be as miserable as I was. As the meeting progressed, my surprise turned into hope. Although these people were… Read more »