What is Al-Anon?

The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery.

Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution; does not engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions.

Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.

-from the "Suggested Al-Anon Preamble to the Twelve Steps," excerpt from M-7 Al-Anon Program Wallet Card

How will Al-Anon help me?

Many who come to Al-Anon/Alateen are in despair, feeling hopeless, unable to believe that things can ever change. We want our lives to be different, but nothing we have done has brought about change. We all come to Al-Anon because we want and need help.

In Al-Anon and Alateen, members share their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. You'll meet others who share your feelings and frustrations, if not your exact situation. We come together to learn a better way of life, to find happiness whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.

Visit Al-Anon's Newcomer website at: https://al-anon.org/newcomers/

Self-Assessment Questions

“Are You Troubled by Someone’s Drinking?” (S-17) 20 questions help families and friends of alcoholics identify a need for Al-Anon. (Click link below to access)

<aside> <img src="https://img.icons8.com/ios/100/000000/link--v1.png" alt="https://img.icons8.com/ios/100/000000/link--v1.png" width="40px" /> https://al-anon.org/pdf/S17.pdf

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If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, Al-Anon may be able to help you!

S-17

“Did You Grow Up with a Problem Drinker?” (S-25) 20 questions for adult children of alcoholics to decide if they can benefit from Al-Anon. (Click link below to access)

<aside> <img src="https://img.icons8.com/ios/100/000000/link--v1.png" alt="https://img.icons8.com/ios/100/000000/link--v1.png" width="40px" /> https://al-anon.org/pdf/S25.pdf

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If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, Al-Anon may be able to help you!

S-25

Al-Anon's Three Legacies

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. The Twelve Concepts of Service provide guidance for service in the Al-Anon fellowship.

The Al-Anon/Alateen Twelve Steps

These Twelve Steps, adapted nearly word-for-word from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, have been a tool for spiritual growth for millions of Al‑Anon/Alateen members. At meetings, Al‑Anon/Alateen members share with each other the personal lessons they have learned from practicing from these Steps.

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

The Al-Anon/Alateen Twelve Traditions

The Traditions summarize the Al-Anon principles that have proven to help Al-Anon groups function effectively.

Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
For our group purpose there is but one authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants—they do not govern.
The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.
Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.
Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics.
Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.

The Al-Anon/Alateen Twelve Concepts of Service

The Twelve Concepts of Service summarize the Al-Anon principles that have proven to help Al-Anon’s service organizations function effectively together.

The ultimate responsibility and authority for Al-Anon world services belongs to the Al-Anon groups.
The Al-Anon Family Groups have delegated complete administrative and operational authority to their Conference and its service arms.
The right of decision makes effective leadership possible.
Participation is the key to harmony.
The rights of appeal and petition protect minorities and insure that they be heard.
The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility of the Trustees.
The Trustees have legal rights while the rights of the Conference are traditional.
The Board of Trustees delegates full authority for routine management of Al-Anon Headquarters to its executive committees.
Good personal leadership at all service levels is a necessity. In the field of world service the Board of Trustees assumes the primary leadership.
Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority and double-headed management is avoided.
The World Service Office is composed of selected committees, executives and staff members.
The spiritual foundation for Al-Anon’s world services is contained in the General Warranties of the Conference, Article 12 of the Charter.

General Warranties of the Conference

In all proceedings the World Service Conference of Al-Anon shall observe the spirit of the Traditions:

that only sufficient operating funds, including an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principle;
that no Conference member shall be placed in unqualified authority over other members;
that all decisions be reached by discussion, vote and whenever possible by unanimity;
that no Conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy;
that though the Conference serves Al-Anon it shall never perform any act of government; and that like the fellowship of Al-Anon Family Groups which it serves, it shall always remain democratic in thought and action.

Al-Anon: Then and Now (AR-2)

A brief history of Al-Anon Family Groups, from the beginnings of A.A. to the present, free to download from the WSO:

<aside> ➡️ https://al-anon.org/pdf/AR2.pdf

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Al-Anon's Cofounders

About Al-Anon's beginnings, and how Lois W. and Anne B. founded Al-Anon Family Groups.

<aside> ➡️ https://al-anon.org/pdf/P87.pdf

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What is Alateen?

Alateen is a place where young members come together to:

share experiences, strength, and hope with each other to find effective ways to cope with problems.
discuss difficulties and encourage one another