How Al-Anon Works

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In Al-Anon, members do not give direction or advice to other members. instead, they share their personal experiences and stories.

How can I find a meeting?

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If someone else's drinking troubles you, attending Al-Anon and Alateen Family Group meetings can help.

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If you are interested in learning more about Al-Anon & Alateen, please feel free to browse our website. There is a lot of helpful information and contact numbers to help guide you.

To find a meeting, please use the Meetings Tab at the top of this page.
Use the legend information on the Meetings page to determine which meeting would best suit your needs. Alternatively, you can call us at:
 1-888-8AL-ANON (1-888-825-2666)

Quick Links (click the back button to return to this page)

CT Al-Anon's Literature Distribution Center (LDC) is open Tuesdays from 9:30 am - 3:00 pm. Masks required. We also accept orders by phone, email, and USPS mail. Curbside pick-ups are available by appointment. Please click here for further information. 

Check out all you need to know for Connecticut's very own LDC/Office (scroll down to the bottom of the page after clicking the link) 


 

 

 

FOR MENTAL HEALTH PERSONNEL

 Since AL-ANON's inception in 1951, the mental health community and AL-ANON have been working together. In a recent AL-ANON survey, nearly half of its members reported receiving professional counseling either prior to or since joining AL-ANON, and many came as a result of psychological counseling. 

As a member of the mental health community, you can be of particular help to individuals affected by someone else's drinking. Usually when people affected by alcoholism in their family seek psychotherapy, they are unaware that alcoholism is a main contributor to their problems. A young child of an alcoholic may be referred owing to difficulty in concentrating on school work, school phobias, or psychosomatic symptoms. The adolescent may exhibit behavior problems, such as perfectionism. or alcohol or drug abuse. The adult child of an alcoholic or spouse may initially seek treatment owing to depression or anxiety. In addition to providing emotional support, you can help by identifying alcoholism as a family disease and by suggesting that your client seek help through the AL-ANON/ALATEEN program. 

Patricia O'Gorman, Ph.D., a psychologist who specializes in treating farnilies of alcoholics, describes the way AL-ANON works: "The three major obstacles family members need to overcome in order to progress, are dealt with in AL-ANON:

Isolation. AL-ANON breaks down isolation by putting family members in contact with others who, like themselves, are attempting to recover from the effects of alcoholism. 

Fear of change. As new members become aware of alcoholism's destructive impact, they also become aware they must learn to face the disease in more constructive ways. With the support of other members and by seeing other members successfully change their lives, newcomers gradually overcome the fear of change that has kept them locked into self-defeating patterns. 

Lack of information about alcoholism. Al Anon provides information to its members about the disease of alcoholism through its literature and through the knowledge of more experienced members. Such information is reaffirmed in a variety of ways, with no stigma attached. AL-ANON is a support group for individuals affected by a loved one's drinking. Often, participation in AL-ANON leads a member to deal with serious interpersonal issues that can be worked through with a professional therapist. AL-ANON does not replace professional counseling; it can enhance it."

 

 

These materials are adapted and reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA

DID YOU KNOW?
AL-ANON is group support; it is not group therapy.
AL-ANON complements professional therapy.
AL-ANON members participate in mental health conventions throughout the world by distributing free literature and information.
Treatment centers are among the leading referral sources to AL-ANON and ALATEEN.

 

- For the Business Community
- For Health Care Professionals
- For Law and Law Enforcement Professionals
- For Mental Health Personnel
- For Clergy and Spiritual Leaders
- For Educators

- Information for Professionals from AL-ANON World Service

Check out Al-Anon on LinkedIn: http://al-anon.org/linkedin
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRINK TO SUFFER FROM ALCOHOLISM
 
DID YOU KNOW?
AL-ANON is an international fellowship.
AL-ANON's membership requirement is that there be a drinking problem in a relative or friend
AL-ANON is free and non-professional.
AL-ANON has a Public Outreach service that provides information to professionals.
AL-ANON publishes "AL-ANON Speaks Out", a free biannual newsletter for members of the professional community.
ALATEEN, a part of AL-ANON, is for teenage members of the family.
AL-ANON groups for adult children, parents, men and other special focus groups function under the umbrella of AL-ANON Family Groups.
AL-ANON/ALATEEN has a Lone Member Service for those unable to attend a meeting.
AL-ANON/ALATEEN holds open meetings which professionals are invited to attend.
AL-ANON/ALATEEN has 24-hour toll-free numbers to call for a free introductory packet of literature for professionals:
USA - 800.344.9996
CAN - 800.714.7498
AL-ANON/ALATEEN has 24-hour toll-free numbers and web sites listing the locations of meetings.
In Al-Anon, a self-help recovery program for families and closefriends of alcoholics, that statement is proven time and time again. Those closest to an alcoholic are deeply affected by the disease of alcoholism - emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Although the root of their problem is not always easy to pinpoint, people involved with alcoholics almost always have "something" about them that doesn't seem quite right. That something might be a sense of sadness, an inability to concentrate, or an obsession with their problems that leaves little time for anything else. A major goal of Al-Anon is to reach as many of the families and close friends of alcoholics as possible. One of the ways we can do that is to work with members of the professional community, like yourself. Our aim is to encourage you to ask every troubled individual who comes to you for help this simple but vital question: "Does someone in your family drink in a way that bothers YOU?"

Al-Anon participants are varied. We are wives, husbands, children, parents, siblings, friends, and even co-workers of alcoholics. Our experiences are different, but our recovery program is the same. In Al-Anon, we recover from the devastating effects of alcoholism by taking the focus off the problem drinker and placing it on ourselves. Joining the Al-Anon fellowship is something most of us find difficult to do; and once we join, our thoughts are still consumed by the behavior of the alcoholic. Gradually, with the support of other members, we begin to think about ourselves and our own needs. That doesn't mean we stop loving the alcoholic; it means we no longer allow ourselves to be manipulated or hurt by someone else's actions. Often, as we grow stronger and healthier, the alcoholics in our families also become willing to seek help.

This online information was written for you, the professional.  It is our hope that when you read it, you will be touched by the stories of members and enlightened by the testimony of your colleagues.  Won't you join hands and help us reach out to families who are wandering down the lonely road of alcoholism?

 

 

These materials are adapted and reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA

 

FOR LAW AND LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSIONALS

 As a professional in the law or law enforcement field, you no doubt encounter case after case of family disturbances. You may deal with domestic violence, divorce, child abuse, incest, teenage delinquency, and criminal activity every day. Are you aware that many, perhaps even most of those problems are the result of alcohol abuse? Being fully aware of alcoholism's destructive effects, you can help alleviate them by recommending the AL-ANON recovery program for troubled family members.

An AL-ANON member shares the following with a police officer: "Officer, do you remember me? fm the woman who frantically called you three times this year because my husband came home drunk and was violent. You were annoyed because I called for help so often. Yet after each incident, I'd go back into the same situation without taking legal action. A few months ago, I began attending AL-ANON meetings regularly. Because of the support I receive from others who have had similar experiences, it's clear to me I do not have to accept violence as a part of my life. Today, AL-ANON is giving me the courage to take the necessary steps to protect rnyself and my children." (Taken from "An Open Letter to The Police" by AFG, Inc.) 

An attorney familiar with alcohol abuse relates his views: "A client comes into the office seeking assistance for having been arrested for driving while intoxicated-the second or third such incident in the last few years. Or a spouse seeks an order of protection against the physical abuse by the other spouse, which frequently occurs after some drinks have been consumed. Those are obvious cases where the effects of drinking are causing problems. But what about the not-so-obvious cases?

"As a lawyer, I do not agonize over whether alcohol abuse is the cause. I make some simple inquiries as to the drinking habits of the client and family members, and when the story indicates that some area of the person's Iife is affected by somebody's abuse of alcohol, then the problem is identified. I make it a practice not to label the person but simply to suggest AL-ANON, ALATEEN or AA. Very often clients come back to me saying that they checked out AL-ANON or AA and there seems to be something there for them. Although they may not always be able to change their circumstances, they can change their attitude and their reaction to circumstances and are amazed at finding a degree of serenity." 

 

 

These materials are adapted and reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA

DID YOU KNOW?
More than 50% of juvenile delinquents come from alcoholic families.
In more than 50% of the divorces in the United States, excessive drinking is cited as a major factor.
AL-ANON and ALATEEN meetings may be held in correctional facilities, family courts and juvenile detention centers.

 

FOR PHYSICIANS AND HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL

 Alcoholism is a disease that often physically affects the whole family. The spouses, children, siblings, and parents of alcoholics frequently develop an array of stress-related disorders such as colitis, ulcers, migraine headaches, depression, and obesity. The family and friends of alcoholics may also strongly deny, even to themselves, that their loved one has a drinking problem. It is not unusual for people affected by another's alcoholism to fail to recognize the connection between their physical complaints and their endless worrying about the problem drinking and its effects on the family. The physical symptoms, the denial, and the worrying may go on indefinitely, until someone, usually a person with authority and objectivity, is able to identify the problem and offer understanding and direction. Here is where the question, "is someone else's drinking bothering you?" is a useful one. One AL-ANON member wrote this to her physician: "I used to have frequent appointments with you and tell you repeatedly of my tiredness. How could I tell you of the many nights spent walking the fl-oor and watching at the window for my spouse intoxicated again--to come home? Finally, I found AL-ANON, and I felt relief. My recovery has been slow but steady. The members of this fellowship gave me hope, something I had lost long ago. A physician who served an internship in an alcoholism abuse center shares what he learned about the disease: "The family is as deeply embedded in the pathology of alcoholism as the alcoholic is.... Many times family members do not recognize the pathology in themselves until it is pointed out to them by a physician.... In questioning a patient, it is reasonable to inquire about family stress. If the response is positive, the professional - remembering that alcoholism is a leading cause of family stress - may then inquire more directly about drinking behavior that bothers you,' rather than alcoholism per se." If you suspect someone's drinking problem has contributed to the cause of your patient's symptoms, we urge you to recommend AL-ANON and/or ALATEEN as part of their treatment. 

 

 

These materials are adapted and reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA

DID YOU KNOW?
Sixty percent of hospitalized patients suffer from alcohol-related illnesses.
Alcoholism can often be identified through family members.
AL-ANON Family Groups may meet in hospitals and treatment centers.