Just as Sick as the Alcoholic
I heard about Al‑Anon many years ago when my therapist suggested I attend to help with my alcoholic husband. I had lived with the disease with my father, and now I found myself in its clutches again. I
Public “Inreach”—Sharing the Hope of Alateen in Al-Anon
I volunteered to be an Alateen Group Sponsor when a high school guidance counselor contacted Al‑Anon. The counselor knew about Alateen and had five students to refer to an Alateen group, which then formed very quickly out of
Through to the Other Side
Prior to attending my first Al‑Anon meeting, I often wondered why things happen the way they do. Why do I always seem to be digging myself out of one mess or another? I can’t remember a time before
When Tears and Anger Didn’t Help
My alcoholic loved one retired two years ago and since then has done nothing but drink until he passes out every day. I was at my wits’ end and my children knew it. I tried reasoning with him.
A Spark of Light
When I entered the rooms of Al‑Anon years ago I felt like a frightened little girl. I gathered the courage to walk into the rooms by first listening to Al‑Anon podcasts where people shared their experience, strength, and
Wherever I Go. . .
From a very young age, I assumed that if I could just get my mom to stop being so angry at my dad, then all would be well in my world. This was when my chaotic scavenger hunt
Does Al-Anon Have “Promises”?
Al-Anon does not list anything in our literature as “The Promises” or “The Gifts” because the World Service Conference, Al-Anon’s largest representative group conscience, has not designated anything as such. From as early as 1977, the Literature Committee
Who Changes Our Literature and Why?
Like many Al‑Anon members, I have often joked that while I am asleep, elves visit my bookshelf and change the wording in my Al‑Anon literature. Pages I am sure I never read before suddenly appear in my careworn
“Together We Can Make It!”
I have been part of Alateen for five years, and I am extremely grateful for that. I have met tons of amazing people who are going through the exact same things I am, and together we get through
Why I “Keep Coming Back”
I believed that my alcoholic husband was physically sick, so I took him to doctors. I couldn’t believe it when the doctor said, “He’s drunk.” I had denied what I’d seen, smelled, and heard—opening cans and vanishing bottles—and
I Get Better with Every Meeting
What am I doing here? I thought. I didn’t want to be here. I wondered how Al‑Anon was going to help me with what I was facing at home. These people didn’t even know me, or so I
The “This, That, and the Other” of Group Business
Growing up in the family disease of alcoholism often gives family members a false sense of being in charge. I brought this attitude with me everywhere I went, including Al‑Anon. My rigid thinking told me that certain things