wisdom collected on the journey, with love from Lea
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable. The first word is WE. You are not alone. I think the next most important word is powerless. I hated this word until I realized that … Continue reading “Taking the First Step” →
“Service is meant to enrich our recovery, not deplete it.” … “Saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean I’m abandoning the program. It means I’m working it.” Article from The Forum, March 2026
Al-Anon (for families and friends of people with alcohol use disorder) is built around a set of spiritual and practical principles that guide recovery.
Spiritual principles represented by the 12 Steps
God is in the group consciences that I agree with, and God is in the group consciences that I don’t agree with.
There is a program called Al-Anon that is helpful for anyone who is worried about someone with a drinking problem. There are people with drinking problems and people without drinking problems in Al-Anon. The only criteria really is that you … Continue reading “A Sophisticated Scam?” →
“Al‑Anon is not allied with any sect or denomination. It is a spiritual program, based on no particular form of religion.” — from the pamphlet Alcoholism, the Family Disease © Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia, 2005. Good quote, source … Continue reading “Spiritual not religious” →
The only meeting you are late to is your first one. — Heard in a meeting
The letter from the alcoholic is a classic and useful piece of Al-Anon literature, from the pamphlet “Three Views of Alcoholism” (P-15). An excerpt is Don’t let me provoke your anger. If you attack me verbally or physically, you will … Continue reading “Letter from the Alcoholic” →
Follow the link below for an excerpt from Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses found on the Al-Anon.org blog It covers the Family Disease, Uncertainty and Crisis/Chaos, Living with Chronic Illness due to Alcoholism, Anticipatory Grief, and Detachment. https://al-anon.org/blog/opening-hearts-transforming-losses/
We don’t share another’s identity, but we can share our own, if we want.
Heard in a Sponsorship Workshop Doing Al-Anon without a sponsor is like going to the swimming pool and watching other people swim. Sponsorship is not a lifetime commitment. Letting go is not a sign of failure The sponsor holds the … Continue reading “Sponsorship” →
Lois W., the wife of Bill W., co-founder of AA, says in her story, ‘After a while I began to wonder why I was not as happy as I ought to be since the one thing I had been yearning … Continue reading “Shoes” →
I was talking to a friend one evening and she shared how she dealt with her resentments. I remember going home happy because I didn’t think I had a resentment problem. I was wrong. That night my … Continue reading “Cleaning My Hard Drive: An Exercise in Working The Steps” →
From the Al-Anon Forum magazine As I try to live the Al-Anon program each day , I find myself with the right to and responsibility for a new set of values and attitudes , I still have the right to become upset … Continue reading “Rights and Responsibilities” →