The Healing I Didn’t Expect
I didn’t grow up in an alcoholic family. I grew up in an alcoholic world. Every grown‑up I knew drank too much—it was the norm. Of all the immediate family, my mother, a mean drunk, was the only
My Lifelong Recovery Tool
Detachment was the topic of my very first Al‑Anon meeting so many years ago. My son was 18 years old and I was frightened for his health, safety, and future. He was living on his own, renting a
“Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism” Reminds Me of the Gift of Choices
Having Al-Anon literature in my hands is as important to me today as it was when I was a newcomer. I was in crisis and emotional pain. I took home every Al-Anon pamphlet I saw at meetings to
Group Problems and Spiritual Principles
I recently learned about a conflict occurring at a group meeting in a limited access facility. A member of the group researched the subject in the “Digest of Al-Anon and Alateen Policies” section of the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual
You Became My Family
When I was a child, I was adopted into a family of three boys. I was a very quiet little girl and did whatever my parents told me to do. My father was a proclaimed alcoholic, though I
One at a Time
I found my way to Al‑Anon when I accepted that my life was uncontrollable because of my loved ones’ abuse of drugs and alcohol, and it changed my life in so many positive ways. Perhaps the most helpful
A Safe Place to Finally Say What Was True
For so many years, I held in what I knew to be true. There seemed to be no safe place in which to tell what was going on in my childhood home. This included nightly arguments fueled by
Using the Traditions and Concepts for My Personal Growth
When I first came to Al‑Anon, the Twelve Steps were baffling enough to me. It took some time before I saw how the Twelve Traditions applied to the meetings I attended. Back then, the idea of applying them
Kindred Spirits
At my first Al‑Anon meeting, there were 20 women and no men, which confirmed to me that I was probably married to the only female alcoholic in the world. Yes—I was that angry, lonely, and tired. I thought,
Exactly What I Needed
When I reached the end of my rope with my alcoholic/addict son, I decided to go to an Al‑Anon meeting. That first Al‑Anon meeting was on a dark, cold, rainy night, which was how I felt at the
Finding My Way in Al-Anon
Over the course of a few years, my family’s life seemed to spiral out of control. Solutions I thought should work didn’t. I was worn out, and I was out of ideas. I finally took a friend’s advice
Keeping Calm with the “Conflict Resolution Kit”
I once thought of Al-Anon as a perfect, safe, and happy place—one big happy family. I naively believed that our admission of powerlessness in Step One meant that we relinquished control or domination over others. It shocked me to