When a diagnosis confirmed that my father was an alcoholic, he went away to a treatment facility and we, the family members, my mother, sister and I, received an invitation to try local Al‑Anon meetings.
When we walked into our first Al-Anon meeting, sat down, and listened to the Twelve Steps, a peace and calm came over me. Right away, I knew that these meetings and this program were where I needed to be. I went to as many meetings as I could, even though I did not speak for many weeks.
I felt so emotional that I cried, shook and my stomach stayed upset. I had never heard people talk about the alcoholic situation in their homes before, or the feelings that they had experienced. When I was growing up, I always felt the drinking was a horrible secret that I had to keep. As a child, I had felt frightened, confused and embarrassed by the things that went on in my home.
It was such a relief through Al‑Anon to recognize these feelings for what they were and to work through them by hearing others with similar circumstances share so openly. I feel like I will keep coming back to Al-Anon forever!
By Tammie McL.
Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2019