Al-Anon: Our Side of the Street

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Al-Anon: Our Side of the Street

Al-Anon is a mutual support group who share their experience in applying the Al-Anon principles

06/01/2026

Courage to Change

Between meetings, I need to keep in close touch with other Al-Anon members by telephone. Like many who have been affected by alcoholism, when I came into the program I was tremendously overburdened. Lots of patient listening at the other end of the line continues to help me get these burdens off my chest.

Sharing Al-Anon recovery by telephone allows me to reach out to someone else for support. The person I am talking to is not my counselor, confessor, or problem-solver. Nor is he or she obliged to sit and listen to all my sob stories.

Instead, this person may help me reason things out. Sometimes I'll be reminded of an Al-Anon idea or tool that will enable me to gain some perspective on my situation. I am not given advice about what I should or should not do - that is for me to decide. By the time the conversation is over, I've usually found some relief from the problem that had seemed so enormous while it stayed trapped inside my head.

Today's Reminder

It is my responsibility to solve my own problems with the help of the God of my understanding. Since God often speaks through other people, when I reach out and make an Al-Anon call, I become willing to receive that help.

"We cannot climb up a rope that is attached only to our own belt."
--William Ernest Hocking

The Language Of Letting Go

Relationships

If we are unhappy without a relationship, we'll probably be unhappy with one as well. A relationship doesn't begin our life; a relationship doesn't become our life. A relationship is a continuation of life.
--Beyond Codependency

Relationships are the blessing and bane of recovery. Relationships are where we take our recovery show on the road.

Each day, we are faced with the prospect of functioning in several different relationships. Sometimes, we choose these relationships; sometimes, we don't. The one choice we usually have in our relationships concerns our own behavior. In recovery from codependency, our goal is to behave in ways that demonstrate responsibility for us.

We're learning to acknowledge our power to take care of ourselves in our relationships. We're learning to be intimate with people when possible.

Do we need to detach from someone who we've been trying to control? Is there someone we need to talk to, even though what we have to say may be uncomfortable? Is there someone we've been avoiding because we're afraid to take care of ourselves with that person? Do we need to make an amend? Is there someone we need to reach out to, or show love?

Recovery is not done apart from our relationships. Recovery is done by learning to own our power and to take care of ourselves in relationships.

Today, I will participate in my relationships to the best of my ability. I will make myself available for closeness and sharing with people I trust. I will ask for what I need and give what feels right.

More Language Of Letting Go

Take Responsibility For Your Life

Before you can jump out of the airplane, before you can fly solo in an airplane, before you can go on the whitewater rafting trip, before you can make a bungee jump, you have to sign a waiver.

The waiver is a document that says that you realize the dangers in what you’re about to do, that you and you alone have made the decision to participate in the activity, and that you and you alone are responsible for the outcome.

You sign away your right to sue, whine, complain – to do anything except risk your life for a new experience.

You sign the waiver to protect others from being liable in case of an accident. I think waivers are a good reminder that ultimately no one is responsible for my life but me. There is no one to blame, no one to sue, no one to ask for a refund. I make my own decisions and I live with the results of those choices each day.

So do you.

It’s your life. Sign a waiver saying that you take responsibility for it. Set yourself and others free.

God, help me understand the inherent powers I have. Help me take responsibility for my choices, and guide me about what decisions are best for me.

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon

Until I came into Al-Anon, I thought nobody had a problem as bad as mine. That gave me plenty of reason to feel sorry for myself, to resent what the alcoholic was doing, and to hammer away at his mistakes and shortcomings.

As I attended Al-Anon meetings, my eyes began to open. Other people's problems make mine look small, yet they were facing them with courage and confidence. Others were trapped in situations as bad as mine, but they accepted the fact that the alcoholic was suffering from a disease. I found many reasons to be grateful that my lot was not worse. My road began to lighten.

Today's Reminder

When things look blackest, it is within my power to brighten them with the light of understanding and gratitude. I realize how much depends on my point of view; my own wrong habits of thinking and acting must be corrected and only I can do that.

"Let me not expect easy solutions to my problems. Make me realize that many of my difficulties were created by me, by my own reactions to the happenings in my daily life. I ask only to be guided to a better way."

Hope For Today

I see more clearly how I have grown in the Al-Anon program as I recall my past behavior and my misunderstanding of the nature of alcoholism.

I did not know or believe that alcoholism is a disease. I truly believed that the alcoholic in my life could control or stop the drinking. Therefore I had difficulty in communicating with the alcoholic. Frequently we had serious disagreements resulting in physical injury to one or both of us.

Fortunately a professional recommended Al-Anon to me. Sharing at meetings, as well as studying and applying the Al-Anon tools, has given me a firm understanding of alcoholism as a disease. I can see now that my attitude toward the alcoholic was seriously flawed. Understanding and accepting alcoholism as a disease helps me separate the disease from the person, thus allowing me to have compassion for the alcoholic while setting loving boundaries regarding unacceptable behavior.

Thought for the Day

Understanding alcoholism as a disease helps me have compassion for the alcoholic and take care of myself at the same time.

"Specialists in the field of alcoholism regard it not as a moral weakness or sin, but as a complex disease, perhaps part physical and part emotional."

Freedom From Despair, p. 1

A Little Time for Myself

When I first came to Al-Anon, I cried through meetings and left directly afterwards. I didn't mingle - I was thinking of leaving my alcoholic partner, so I didn't know if I really belonged. Yet in those meetings, I heard how people applied the Al-Anon principles to situations that had nothing to do with alcoholics.

Gradually, I began to see the disease in the thoughts and actions I defaulted to, whether or not I was dealing with an active drinker. I was amazed and inspired by the clm serenity Al-Anon members described in dealing with bad traffic, health problems, and large financial transactions. Wanting more sanity in all of my affairs kept me coming back.

Today's Reminder

Whether or not I have any active drinkers in my life now, I can still benefit from being a member of the Al-Anon family.

"The only requirement for membership is a problem of alcoholism in a friend or loved one. It's up to each of us to decide whether we belong."
Paths to Recovery

In what situations do I get a feeling of belonging in Al-Anon today?

ALATEEN - a day at a time
When I had a hard time handling things that were happening around me, I used to run away into my own little dreamworld. It kept me from hurting so much. I'd dream about being a movie star or a hero or just about being special in someone else's life.

In the program I'm learning to face reality instead of dreaming my life away. The Steps and slogans are helping me see things as they are and deal with the hurt I feel.

I'm still a dreamer, but that's okay because now I know the difference between what's real and what's a dream. My dreams can help me look on the brighter side of things as long as I don't lose sight of what's really happening in my life today.

Things to Think About

I'm free to dream, but how I dream can make a big difference to what happens in my life. Instead of escaping to dreamland, I can use the program to be realistic about things and let my dreams help me to be a positive thinker today.

05/01/2026

Courage to Change

I was terribly confused about the meaning of "compassion" when I came to Al-Anon. I thought it meant making excuses for the alcoholic or covering bad checks. Al-Anon helped me to find another word for this behavior: "enabling." I learned that when I cleaned up the consequences of alcoholic behavior. I enabled the alcoholic to continue drinking comfortably and acting out without having to pay the price. A more compassionate way to respond to those I love might be to allow them to face the consequences of their actions, even when it will cause them pain.

How do I know whether a particular action is enabling? While this is not always clear, I find it helpful to look carefully at my motives. Am I trying to interfere with the natural consequences of a loved one's choices? Am I trying to do for someone what they could do for themselves? Am I doing what I think is best for me? Do I resent what I am doing? If so, is it really a loving choice? Sometimes the most compassionate thing I can do is to let others take responsibility for their behavior.

Today's Reminder

Today I will remember that I have choices, and so does the alcoholic. I will make the best choices I can and allow others in my life to do the same without interference.

"I must learn to give those I love the right to make their own mistakes and recognize them as theirs alone."
Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism

The Language Of Letting Go

Accepting Help

Some of us have felt so alienated that we've forgotten we're not alone. We've come to believe that we have to do it ourselves. Some of us have been abandoned. Some have gone without love. Some of us have gotten used to people never being there for us. Some of us have struggled, and hard lessons to learn.

God's there, always ready to help. There is an ample supply of people to care about us too.

We will, if we want it, receive love and support, comfort and nurturing. If we take the risk to ask for it, help is there. We can draw on the strength of our recovery group and allow ourselves to be helped and supported by our Higher Power. Friends will come, good friends.

We aren't alone. And we don't have to do it ourselves. We're not doing it ourselves. There is no shortage of love. Not anymore.

Today, God, help me let go of my need to do it alone and my belief that I am alone. Help me tap into Your Divine Paver and Presence, and Your resources for love, support, and friendship. Open my eyes and heart so I can see the love, help, and support that's there for me. Help me know I am loved.

More Language Of Letting Go

Move When it’s Time

We were touring the ruins at Hovenweep National Monument in the southwestern United States. A sign along the interpretive trail told about the Anasazi who had lived along the small, narrow canyon so long ago. The archaeologists have done their best to determine what those ancient Indians did and how they lived their lives. The signs talked about the strategic positioning of the buildings perched precariously on the edge of a cliff, and questioned what had caused this ancient group to suddenly disappear long ago.

“Maybe they just got tired of living here and moved,” my friend said.

We laughed as we pictured a group of wise ancients sitting around a campfire one night. “You know,” says one of them. “I’m tired of this desert. Let’s move to the beach.” And in our story they did. No mystery. No aliens taking them away. They just moved on, much like we do today.

It’s easy to romanticize what we don’t know. It’s easy to assume that someone else must have a greater vision, a nobler purpose than just going to work, having a family, and living a life. People are people, and have been throughout time. Our problems aren’t new or unique.

The secret to happiness is the same as it has always been. If you are unhappy with where you are, don’t be there. Yes, you may be here now, you may be learning hard lessons today, but there is no reason to stay there. If it hurts to touch the stove, don’t touch it. If you want to be someplace else, move. If you want to chase a dream, then do it. Learn your lessons where you are, but don’t close off your ability to move, and to learn new lessons someplace else.

Are you happy with the path that you’re on? If not, maybe it’s time to choose a new one.

There need not be a great mysterious reason. Sometimes it’s just hot and dry, and the beach is calling your name.

Be where you want to be.

God, give me the courage to find a path with heart. Help me move on when it’s time.

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon

This day I will concentrate on the inner meaning of the Commandment "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." I will accept myself, for that is the primary condition under which the good in me can grow. Unless I am at peace with the child of God I am, I cannot love and help my neighbor. Regrets are vain. They interfere with the good I could do today, the making of the better person I want to be tomorrow.

Today's Reminder

Condemning ourselves for mistakes we have made is just as bad as condemning others for theirs. We are not really equipped to make judgements, and even of ourselves.

Thomas A. Kempis said: "All perfection in this life is attended by some imperfection and all our farseeing is not without obscurity."

"Today I pray for the wisdom to build a better tomorrow on the mistakes and experiences of yesterday."

Hope For Today

During each Al-Anon meeting when our Suggested Welcome is read, I hear, . . in Al-Anon we discover that no situation is really hopeless.” At first I had a hard time comprehending that idea in my mind and heart. I felt anchored in a place so dark and full of despair that it seemed nothing would ever change. Even if Al-Anon folks could stop my mother from drinking, they certainly couldn’t go back in time and give me a happy childhood. I felt doomed. Yet as I looked around me at meetings, I saw many smiling faces. Maybe there was hope after all.

I had to attend many meetings and begin using the slogans and Steps before I began smiling. Then this simple realization traveled the long journey from my head to my heart - no situation is ever hopeless. Situations don’t lose hope; people do. What is lost can often be found, restored, replaced, or recovered. Even though the members of Al-Anon didn’t change my mother or my childhood, they did help me change my attitude. Once I changed my perspective, my all-encompassing perception of doom and gloom began to evaporate. Today I am grateful and appreciative of all that has happened in my life, including my childhood and my mother’s drinking. They brought me to where I am today, and I like being here.

Thought for the Day

Situations can change. I've noticed that they change much faster when I change my attitude.

"As we watch those around us in our meetings begin to find greater freedom and greater joy in their lives, most of us realize that, no matter what situation we face or how desperate we feel, there is good reason for hope."

How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics, p. 12

A Little Time for Myself

Before Al-Anon, I made choices by gut instinct, protecting my feelings to survive. In Al-Anon, I heard that feelings were not facts. That made sense, but I would still randomly cry at work, or get angry without understanding why. I believe I was in denial and ignoring my emotions.

A good Al-Anon friend gave me the best analogy to help me understand myself, as well as to have a good laugh: "Feelings are like children. You don't want them driving your car, but you also can't stuff them in the trunk." That visual helped me learn the role feelings have in my life. Talking about my feelings keeps them quiet in the backseat, so I can hear my Higher Power's guidance. Sometimes, however, my feelings may require me to take action - like pulling over to let the "kids" use the bathroom.

Today's Reminder

My feelings may be strong, but ultimately, I am driving, and my Higher Power has the road map.

"My Sponsor said my feelings are mine and I have a right to feel them. What is really important is what I do with them."
Discovering Choices - Recovery in Relationships

How can I acknowledge and honor my feelings today?

ALATEEN - a day at a time
How my day goes depends on how I see my problems. If I think of them as stumbling blocks, I'll probably be uptight and frustrated. But if I try to use my problems as stepping stones to find out more about myself, today can be an important step in my growth.

Admitting I'm wrong can be a stepping stone to being honest and humble. Working on an assignment I've put off can make me more responsible. Letting go of one of my fears can help me find faith in a Higher Power.

Stepping stones or stumbling blocks - the choice is mine.

Things to Think About

No one can tell me how I should feel about today. That right belongs to me alone. I'll be a lot further ahead if I don't let my problems get me down. They can make me stronger today if I use them to dig deeper into the program.

04/01/2026

Courage to Change

When I first found Al-Anon I was desperate and lonely. I yearned for the serenity that others in the meetings so obviously possessed. When members shared about the tools that had worked for them, I paid close attention.

Here is what I heard: Go to meetings and share when you can; work all the Steps, but not all at once - start with Step One; get a Sponsor; read some Al-Anon literature every day; use the phone to reach out between meetings. Gradually I took each of these suggestions and began to see real changes in my life. I began to believe my life could amount to more than a string of painful days to be survived. Now I had resources that helped me to deal with even the most difficult situations. I came to see that, with the help of my Higher Power, I could handle anything that came to pass and even grow as I did so. In time, the tools and principles of the program helped me gain the serenity I had long desired.

Today's Reminder

Al-Anon gives me tools I can use to achieve many goals, including serenity, sanity, and detachment with love. And Al-Anon members who share their experience, strength, and hope show me how to put these tools to work in my life.

"Daily vigilance will turn out to be a small price to pay for my peace of mind."
The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage

The Language Of Letting Go

Separating from Family Issues

We can draw a healthy line, a healthy boundary, between our nuclear family and ourselves. We can separate ourselves from their issues.

Some of us may have family members who are addicted to alcohol and other drugs and who are not in recovery from their addiction.

Some of us may have family members who have unresolved codependency issues. Family members may be addicted to misery, pain, suffering, martyrdom, and victimization. We may have family members who have unresolved abuse issues or unresolved family of origin issues.

We may have family members who are addicted to work, eating, or s*x. Our family may be completely enmeshed, or we may have a disconnected family in which the members have little contact.

We may be like our family. We may love our family. But we are separate human beings with individual rights and issues. One of our primary rights is to begin feeling better and recovering, whether or not others in the family choose to do the same.

We do not have to feel guilty about finding happiness and a life that works. And we do not have to take on our family's issues as our own to be loyal and to show we love them.

Often when we begin taking care of ourselves, family members will reverberate with overt and covert attempts to pull us back into the old system and roles. We do not have to go. Their attempts to pull us back are their issues. Taking care of ourselves and becoming healthy and happy doesn't mean we do not love them. It means we're addressing our issues.

We do not have to judge them because they have issues; nor do we have to allow them to do anything they would like to us just because they are family.

We are free now, free to take care of ourselves with family members. Our freedom starts when we stop denying then issues, and politely, but assertively, hand their stuff back to them - where it belongs - and deal with our own issues.

Today, I will separate myself from family members, l am a separate human being, even though I belong to a unit called a family. I have a right to my own issues and growth; my family members have a right to their issues and a right to choose where and when they will deal with these issues. I can learn to detach in love from my family members and their issues. I am willing to work through all necessary feelings in order to accomplish this.

More Language Of Letting Go

Know When to Compromise

Sometimes compromise is important. Sometimes it’s better to give in to someone else’s wishes in order to have fun as a group or as a couple, or for the benefits of the team. Sometimes compromise is dangerous. We need to guard against compromising our standards to gain the approval or love of someone else.

Decide when you can, and when you cannot compromise. If it’s not harmful and you are ambivalent about a decision, then compromise. If it could lead to breaking your values, compromise isn’t a good idea.

Is it okay to have lunch with an attractive colleague if you’re married? Possibly, but not if lunch will lead to dinner, which then leads to more time spent together, culminating in an affair. Is it okay to go to the bar with friends after work? Maybe, but not if it leads to one rationalized decision after another until you have broken your commitment to stay sober.

Remember that what may be an acceptable compromise for one person might not be acceptable for you. Know your limits, know your values, and be aware of the dangers that can come from compromising them.

God, help me be aware of my limits. Give me the strength not to compromise the values that I need to help me on my path.

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon

If I say, "Of myself I can do nothing," I am asserting that I intend to seek help. Where is the help for my problem of living with an alcoholic? I will find it with my fellow-members in Al-Anon. There I will find understanding, strength and hope. There I will learn to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can. My first step will be to have a program: I will go to every possible Al-Anon meeting; I will read Al-Anon literature; I will keep an open mind; I will apply what I learn to everyday life.

Today's Reminder

My own way of thinking often deceives me. I can see but a little way. When I realize that people are learning to solve their problems in over 30,000 Al-Anon groups all over the world, wouldn't I be punishing myself needlessly to reject this wonderful way of life?

"Sharing experiences widens one's horizons and opens out new and better ways to deal with difficulties. There is no need to solve them alone."

Hope For Today

Step One: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.”

What I do not admit in Step One is as important as what I do admit. I do not admit that I am a failure. I may feel like a failure, but I’ve learned in this program that feelings aren’t facts. If I stop to reflect, I realize that I’m not diminished when I admit my powerlessness over alcohol. In fact, in some important way, I join the rest of the human race because we are all powerless over something at one time or another.

When I admit my life is unmanageable, I don’t admit that I am a bad person. In my attempts to maintain the delusion of exercising power where I am powerless, my life has become disorderly. Although I may have temporarily lost control of my life, I have not committed a crime. I need only apply Step One to begin to regain my serenity.

Thought for the Day

Step One encourages me to build my life in a balanced perspective.

"With the understanding that alcoholism is a disease, and with the realization that we are powerless over it, as well as over other people, we are ready to do something useful and constructive with our own lives."

Alcoholism, the Family Disease, p. 3

A Little Time for Myself

Recently at my home meeting, someone commented how every day was a gift. I thought, "Yeah, but most days I either want to return it or exchange it!" However, I was raised to be polite, and to say thank you for any gift, regardless of what I was. Gratitude can distract me from my need to judge the gift.

I know that life is today. Life is not 20 years ago, nor in the distant unknown of what is to come, good or bad. My goal is to find my serenity daily in my Higher Power and not be affected by outside events. This is a lifelong journey, gently taken a day at a time, and hopefully lived to the fullest.

Today's Reminder

Just for today, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

"Gratitude changes your attitude."
Discovering Choices - Recovery in Relationships

What gifts has today brought me? Am I using them well?

ALATEEN - a day at a time
Before I came to Alateen I was reliving yesterday and worrying about tomorrow. That left me no time for today. I was in a daze all the time and I didn't know what I was doing.

Then I was lucky enough to discover Alateen. At first I was hard headed and stuck to my old ways. But now, after some time in the program, I'm realizing that the best way to live is One Day at a Time. Sometimes, when things get tough, I even have to live one minute at a time.

I know I don't have to worry about what's coming tomorrow or what I did yesterday. With the help of my Higher Power and the program, I can live for today and enjoy it.

Things to Think About

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow isn't here, so I can only live for today. If I worry about what's going to happen or what's already happened, I'll forget to be thankful for what I have now. Alateen keeps me on track and helps me to live One Day at a Time.

03/01/2026

Courage to Change

I am writing my life story with every single today. Am I moving in a positive direction? If not, perhaps I need to make some changes. I can do nothing to change the past except stop repeating it in the present. Going to Al-Anon meetings and practicing the principles of the program are some of the ways in which I am already breaking out of unhealthy and unsatisfying patterns of the past.

I believe that my life is built upon layers of little everyday accomplishments. When I think this way, setting goals and taking small risks becomes nothing more than a daily striving to make my life better. Taking some tiny action each day can be much more effective than weeks and months of inactivity followed by a frenzied attempt to make radical changes overnight. It certainly leaves me more serene. When I face a new challenge, I try to take my beginning wherever it may be and start from there.

Today's Reminder

No one can make me change. No one can stop me from changing. No one really knows how I must change, not even I. Not until I start. I will remember that it only takes a slight shift in direction to begin to change my life.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
--Lao-tse

The Language Of Letting Go

Nurturing Self Care
. .there isn't a guidebook for setting boundaries. Each of us has our own guide inside ourselves. If we continue to work at recovery, our boundaries will develop. They will get healthy and sensitive. Our selves will tell us what we need to know,' and we'll love ourselves enough to listen.
--Beyond Codependency

What do we need to do to take care of ourselves?

Listen to that voice inside. What makes you angry? What have you had enough of? What don't you trust? What doesn't feel right? What can't you stand? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you want? Need? What don't you want and need? What do you like? What would feel good?

In recovery, we learn that self care leads us on the path to God's will and plan for our life. Self-care never leads away from our highest good; it leads toward it.

Learn to nurture that voice inside. We can trust ourselves. We can take care of ourselves. We are wiser than we think.

Our guide is within, ever present. Listen to, trust, and nurture that guide.

Today, I will affirm that lama gift to the Universe and myself. I will remember that nurturing self care delivers that gift in its highest form.

More Language Of Letting Go

Bring Your Ideals to Life

There is a Zen story about two monks walking down a street after a heavy rain. Arriving at a corner, they came upon a beautiful girl in fine clothing unable to cross the muddy street without getting filthy.

“Here, I’ll help you,” said one monk. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her to the other side. The two monks walked in silence for a long time.

“We’ve sworn a vow of celibacy and are not supposed to go near women. It’s dangerous,” the second monk said to the first. “Why did you do that?”

“I left the girl back at the corner,” the first monk said. “Are you still carrying her?”

Sometimes, we may find ourselves in a situation where our ideals conflict. Being kind and loving to another person may conflict with our value of being committed and loving toward ourselves.

When one ideal imposes on another, then use your judgement. Do the right thing by others. Do the right thing by yourself, too. Then let the incident pass and move on.

For the monks in our story, right action usually meant not having contact with women. However, when encountering a stranded person on the road, right action becomes helping others. Ideals remain. Right thought, right action, right speech – but the path to those ideals may twist and turn throughout life. Be sensitive and aware that you are following an ideal and not a rigid belief.

God, help me learn when it’s time to let go.

One Day at a Time in Al-Anon

Why do I waste my precious time and energy trying to figure out what makes an alcoholic drink - why doesn't he consider his family, his obligations, his reputation? All I need to know is that he suffers from a disease - alcoholism, the compulsion to drink. Why shouldn't I have compassion for him and his illness when I am so ready to feel sorry for people who have other diseases? Do I blame them? Why do I blame him? Can I cure him by reproaching him? Can I look into his heart and realize the true nature of his sufferings?

Today's Reminder

The fact that I am the spouse, child, parent, or friend of an alcoholic does not give me the right to try to control him. I can only make the situation worse by treating him like an irresponsible naughty child.

"On this day I promise God and myself that I will let go of the problem which is destroying my peace of mind. I pray for detachment from the situation, but not from the suffering drinker who may be helped to find the way to sobriety through the change in my attitude and the love and compassion I am able to express."

Hope For Today

It’s not my fault my parents and loved ones are alcoholics. It’s not their fault, either. Alcoholism isn't a fault; it’s a disease. I can recover from the effects of this family disease in Al-Anon.

I may never completely eliminate the effects of alcoholism on my life, but I can stop allowing them to affect me. Al-Anon offers me the tools and guidance I needed as a child but never got because my parents were suffering from a devastating illness. The Steps, Traditions, slogans, sponsorship, and service offer me a new road map to guide me into myself and the nature of my relationship with my Higher Power. Each minute, each hour, each day, I smile a little more, let go of yesterday a little more, and live in today a little more. Each moment becomes the one I have always been waiting for. Each day becomes a precious collection of the many instances when I see myself as I truly am, a child of a loving Higher Power.

I can become the person I always dreamed of being with the hope and help found in Al-Anon. I have the freedom to start all over today. I do this with baby steps, “One Day at a Time.” I can “Let It Begin with Me” and “ Keep It Simple.” All I need to do is begin somewhere by applying a slogan, reading Conference Approved Literature on a Step, or praying and meditating my way to a deeper relationship with my Higher Power.

Thought for the Day

Al-Anon is helping me to navigate life with ease, dignity, and hope. Today I will share my hope with others.

"Working a program for me means taking one of the tools - a slogan, a Step, the Serenity Prayer; the phone list, my sponsor - and using it in my life."

From Survival to Recovery, p. 107

A Little Time for Myself

When I came to Al-Anon, I was so concerned about my alcoholic partner and everything outside myself, I didn't know who I really was. It took sharing at meetings and working the Steps with a Sponsor to discover the power of honesty, vulnerability, and willingness.

Little by little I began to peel away the layers of the artichoke, let go of shame, and uncover the juicy heart of who I was in the center. Trust, honesty, and participation were the spiritual keys to open the door to my path of personal discovery.

Today's Reminder

Trusting my Al-Anon group, my Sponsor, and a Higher Power of my own understanding to love and trust me unconditionally can show me how to love and trust myself.

"Getting to know myself, take care of myself and trust myself was, I believe, how I formed an intimate relationship with myself."
Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships

How am I different from who I was as a newcomer?

ALATEEN - a day at a time
I'm going through a stage of my life when change is the name of the game. My body is changing. I feel different, too. Some days I'm moody; others, I'm awkward and embarrassed. Sometimes I feel on top of the world.

With all these changes to think about, it's hard to cope with the changes at home, too. Things are up and down. It seems as if every day there's something different to deal with.

Alateen is helping me to make sense of these changes in my life. Being with other teenagers who live with an alcoholic helps me to realize that I'm not alone. We're all going through the same kinds of changes - and we're doing it together.

Things to Think About

Being a teenager isn't easy. Neither is living with an alcoholic. When you put them together, you can have double trouble. But today, with the help of the program, I'm learning to cope.

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