What is your favorite CAL pamphlet, and why?
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 is your favorite CAL pamphlet, and why?
This Is Al-Anon (P-32). Using this pamphlet in our group meetings allows everyone to follow along as the “Suggested Welcome” and “Suggested Closing” are read. Before we started using this pamphlet, we had those readings on laminated sheets, and only the reader could see the words. The pamphlet also includes the Steps, Traditions and Concepts plus sections about Ideas for Newcomers and the Slogans. There is a lot of solid recovery hiding in these pamphlets!
“An Open Letter from an Alcoholic,” in Three Views of Al-Anon (P-15) helped me understand my loved-one’s perspective before he was willing or able to share it with me directly.
Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial. I have read it several times in the past year I have been with Al-Anon. It was amazing how I started to behave in a more healthy way, my husband actually accused me of the very things in that pamphlet! Six months of Al-Anon and I was being accused of having an affair with a coworker that is young enough to be my son, and questioning if I had a psychological disorder. This pamphlet saved my sanity! Because of it I didn’t spend days wondering what I was doing wrong to be accused of these… Read more »
Alcoholism, the Family Disease (P-4) is one of my favorites with 34 pages of great Al-Anon stuff. (P-4) is handy CAL to take along if space is limited – like on a plane. It’s tons in a tiny package. Personal stories (I sure recognized my story among them), Questions Often Asked, The Slogans with short info about each, Thoughts to Live By, Do’s & Don’ts, 3 Obstacles to Al-Anon Success, WSO – What It Is & Does, Alateen, the Twelve Steps with brief explanations, the Twelve Traditions, the Serenity Prayer. My very favorite item in (P-4) is the “Checklist for… Read more »
Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial really opened my eyes to my part in our family situation. I really appreciate the information in this pamphlet and that meeting was one of my favorite. To any newcomers, this is a must read.
One of my favorite pamphlets is Alcoholism, the Family Disease. It contains a wealth of information from general information about Al-Anon to personal stories; “questions often asked”, the Slogans and much more. I cherished it as a newcomer. It helped me begin to gain some understanding about the Disease of Alcoholism and gave me an overview of Al-Anon. Some of the readings in the pamphlet are things read in the opening of some meetings and the general language helped me feel more familiar with things that I heard at meetings. My favorite part of it is on pages 27-28, “A… Read more »
My favorite CAL pamphlet is P-15. Three Views of Al-Anon: Alcoholics Speak to the Family. The second share is my favorite. I reread it every time I start my “stinken thinken.” Then I’m able to take care of myself again and live my Al-Anon life.
Al-Anon Spoken Here. Is a very good pamphlet that expresses how we can respect the 12 Traditions. Leaving other affiliations outside program. It provides a framework for a group to stay focused on ourselves and the ability to recovery in Al-Anon by using the Legacies. Sharing our own experience, our strength, and hope of using the program.
One of my favorite and more helpful pamphlet is Sponsorship, What It’s All About (P-31). I have an older version of it and I still read it from time to time. I have always have a Sponsor, since my coming to Al-Anon. I believe in the benefit of having a Sponsor. However, I could, if I am not vigilant, easily let myself underestimate the help and support my Sponsor offers me. I have to read the paragraphs on “How will my Sponsor help me?” and “What does my Sponsor expect of me?” to bring me back to the reality of… Read more »
The Al-Anon pamphlet Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial is my favorite. I rode the merry-go-round in school and was caught on one by some bigger kids spinning and spinning until I was sick with dizziness. I was given this pamphlet in Al-Anon by the literature person when I was asking about any pamphlet, booklet on the “craziness” I was feeling – it was exactly the one I needed. I grew up in the disease of alcoholism and could relate to it all. This pamphlet helped me identify the feelings and begin the process of working my program to recovery. It… Read more »
My favourite Conference Approved Literature (CAL) pamphlet is Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial. 33 years ago it opened my eyes to the disease of alcoholism and how it works within the family. I will never forget the awakening I had as a result of it’s powerful words. The words “cunning,” “baffling,” “powerful” are all described in this pamphlet with regard to the alcoholic and how we are affected and controlled by those alcoholic tendencies. I now recommend it to every new member who crosses my path.
Freedom from Despair encourages us to focus on our own lives and for us to find our own path to serenity.
One of my favorite Al-Anon pamphlets is the Just For Today bookmark. I have several of these wonderful reminders tucked into different Al-Anon books. Sometimes I carry one in my purse or tuck it into the side pocket of my car door. I was mentally and emotionally overwhelmed when I first came to Al-Anon. The simple format allowed me to read just one or two suggestions at a time. It was also easy for me to find a particular suggestion when I couldn’t remember the exact wording and needed a refresher. This ease of use was a great comfort during… Read more »
I love the Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial pamphlet, when I read this I was in Ah! I love the merry-go-round as a child and didn’t realize I was riding one in my marriage too. The characters and their roles, as if I was watching a movie. It helped me to understand my part in all this and how crazy I was making myself. Once I learn not to ride the merry-go-round anymore, things got better! You see it about how I react to things in life, today it’s “One Day at a Time” and “How important, is it?”
My favorite is “An open letter from an alcoholic” from Three Views of Al-Anon – Alcoholics Speak to the Family. Really made me learn about their feelings. And I need to let go. For them but mostly for me.
I love the pamphlet Alcoholism: The Family Disease! It’s a treasure trove of recovery currency. I still have the one I grabbed at my second meeting in 1996, when I heard the eye-opening “Checklist for Evaluating Our Maturity” read from it (What? Me? Not mature?). I had the “Do’s and Don’ts” (I was doing the don’ts and avoiding the Do’s with relish before I got here); The “Three Obstacles to Success in Al-Anon” were read at a number of meeting I went to when I was new to the program and gave me some parameters for a healing process. It… Read more »
My favorite CAL is Courage to Change. When I was away from Al-Anon for quite long period after my alcoholic quit drinking, may be out of my denial, this CAL saved my life and brought me back to Al-Anon after I hit my emotional bottom, as though I was not attending meetings I used to read this book and somewhere at the back of my mind the word “Al-Anon” was getting imprinted like a reminder whenever I would outburst in anger towards my alcoholic who was dry sober then, and now also, but now I am back to Al-Anon, attend… Read more »
My favorite is the Detachment pamphlet.
The Detachment pamphlet because it has the wisdom:
“In Al-Anon we learn not to create a crisis and not to prevent a crisis if it’s the natural course of events.”
My favorite Al-Anon pamphlet is
Understanding Ourselves & Alcoholism.
This pamphlet explains exactly how I felt when I came into this program, with the fear, denial, self-esteem, and anger issues I had. More than that it gave me hope that my life could get better by working the Al-Anon program. What a wonderful way of life I have today. Thanks to the Al-Anon program.