About Al-Anon

Al-Anon is a worldwide organization...

that offers a self-help recovery program for the families and friends of alcoholics whether or not the alcoholic seeks help or even recognizes the existence of a drinking problem.
where members give and receive comfort and understanding through a mutual exchange of experiences, strength and hope.
where sharing of similar problems binds individuals and groups together in a bond that is protected by a policy of anonymity.

Al-Anon is not...

a religious organization.
a counseling agency.
a treatment center.
allied with any other organization offering such services.

Al-Anon Family Groups, which includes Alateen for teenage members, neither express opinions on outside issues nor endorse outside enterprises.

No dues or fees are required. Membership is voluntary, requiring only that one's own life has been adversely affected by someone else's drinking problem.

Al-Anon's program of recovery is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous. The Steps are the foundation for personal recovery in Al-Anon, and the Traditions help Al-Anon groups sustain their unity and fellowship.

Therapists Told Me about Al-Anon By Miriam J., New York

Almost 20 years ago, when my teenage daughter was drinking, cutting classes, and acting defiant, I came into Al-Anon. Nothing my husband and I did improved the situation, and our marriage suffered because of our disagreements and the strain. We decided we needed help.

A friend recommended a therapist who was good with teenagers. We went to see the therapist and his first recommendation was that we start going to Al-Anon. We went to a beginners' meeting at our county mental-health facility. Soon I felt comfortable with a small group I found that met near my home, but my husband decided not go to any more meetings.

In the beginning, I did not understand that Al-Anon was about me changing rather than changing another person. I learned a lot about my enabling and controlling behaviors and made a conscious effort to change them. That was very hard for me to do because I grew up in an alcoholic family, so I had spent my whole life learning these behaviors. I went to meetings for about three years. My daughter went to college, my marriage improved, and I thought I did not need Al-Anon meetings anymore.

About ten years later, I found myself at a new bottom again when I could no longer deny my husband's alcoholism. Once again I found a therapist who told me to go to Al-Anon meetings.

The group I had attended so many years before had disbanded, but I found another warm and loving group. This time I knew I really had to work the program to change myself. Otherwise the pain of living with the results of alcoholism was too great.

I have found friendship, acceptance, and love since returning to Al-Anon. I was grateful for the acknowledgment of shared feelings and experiences. I wanted to reach out to people at the meeting but did not know how. I am a shy person, so it took me a few weeks of meetings before I felt comfortable speaking.

At first, I used service work as a way to help me feel I was a part of the group. I started by helping put away our Conference Approved Literature after the meeting. After a year, I felt ready to chair the meetings for a month. I started attending a second meeting every week and volunteered to fill the Group Representative position for that group. In the past year, two people asked me to be their sponsor. A few months ago, one of my sponsees asked for help in starting a beginners' group in our area and I agreed to help her. The beginners' meeting has added a whole new dimension to my recovery. It keeps me focused on the basics of Al-Anon.

As much as I have grown and changed, I know I have more work to do. The program keeps me honest with myself and able to look at life realistically. I know I will keep coming back as long as I can. I will always be grateful to the therapists who suggested that I try Al-Anon.