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. 
In honor of the Labor Day holiday, the LDC will be closed on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
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 EDUCATORS

 The symptoms exhibited by a child from an alcoholic home are similar to those exhibited by any child from a troubled home. But the path to recovery for the child and family of an alcoholic is different. 

As an educator, you are often in a position to see the debilitating effects of the disease of alcoholism. You can start the family on the road to recovery by recommending AL-ANON. You can also recommend ALATEEN, a recovery program for teenagers whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. In those groups, family members find that they can improve their own lives, whether their loved one is drinking or not. 

Here's how one teacher learned about alcoholism: "I had the usual training for my work, but the training did not stress such unusual problems as I encountered working with Jenny, a child living with alcoholism at home. The gains I made with her were due to my knowing something about alcoholism through AL-ANON.... I asked to go to an open meeting (a type of AL-ANON meeting where professionals are welcomed). I sat next to a woman who asked me who in my family was an alcoholic.... I told her no one and explained why I was interested." (Taken from "A Teacher Finds Guidance in AL-ANON" in AL-ANON FACES ALCOHOLISM by AFG,Inc.) 

In a letter to his teacher, a child explains the importance of urging families to join our fellowship: "... it's time I tell you why I've been so disruptive at school and crying sometimes.... You know something is wrong.... The reason I haven't told you before is that I've been too embarrassed.

"You see, my Dad has a drinking problem. He comes home very drunk some nights and yells, then Mom yells back.... Sometimes he hits her or us for no reason, just because he's drunk. Sometimes my sister and I are so scared we hide under the bed crying.... 

"Now my Mom goes to AL-ANON where families and friends of problem drinkers go to understand the illness.... It works, too.... I go to ALATEEN which is for teenagers affected by someone else's drinking.... It feels good not to be the only one with my kind of problem. I think teachers should know about alcoholism, because then they would understand kids like me. If you know of any kids who have a problem with a drinking parent, please tell them where they can get help. ALATEEN really helped me." (Taken from "An Open Letter To My Teacher" by AFG, Inc.) 

At ALATEEN, teenagers meet other teenagers who face similar problems. And they see their peers are learning to cope with their problems in a constructive way. ALATEEN is a part of AL-ANON and can be reached by contacting the AL-ANON Family Groups. 

Janet Woititz, Ed. D., a therapist who specialized in treating children of alcoholics, described ALATEEN: "The ALATEEN program helps its members understand what is going on in their home. It teaches them about the disease of alcoholism, and it teaches them to detach from the illness but not from the alcoholic. ALATEEN members learn they can change only themselves-they cannot take responsibility for their parents' behavior. They learn they can survive... they can even be happy. They may not be able to remove themselves from their family physically, but they can remove themselves emotionally." (Taken from "ALATEEN - A Way to Survive" in AL-ANON FACES ALCOHOLISM by AFG, Inc.)

 

 

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

DID YOU KNOW?
ALATEEN, a part of AL-ANON, is an anonymous self-help fellowship based on the shared experience, strength and hope of its teenage members.
Many children of alcoholics have learning disabilities, whereas other children of alcoholics become overachievers to compensate for troubles at home.
Many children of alcoholics behave in socially unacceptable ways.
Every ALATEEN group has an AL-ANON sponsor.
ALATEEN groups sponsored by AL-ANON members can meet in schools.
ALATEEN posters, audio and video cassettes and written materials are available for use in the classroom.
AL-ANON and ALATEEN members will visit your school or your classroom to talk about our recovery program.

 

FOR CLERGY AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS

 The clergy has come to recognize that alcoholism is a complex disease; it affects not only the alcoholic but the entire family emotionally, spiritually and physically. It erodes family bonds, and it often isolates family members from others in their community. 

As a member of the clergy, you are in a unique position to help when families and friends of problem drinkers seek guidance from you. But first you need to recognize the ripple effects of alcoholism and help the family break down the roadblocks of their denial. The wife of an alcoholic may come to you, for instance, complaining about violence, problems with her children, lack of financial support, or lack of communication.

AL-ANON members describe the kinds of stories you're likely to hear: "...it's been another harrowing weekend... Jim didn't come home Friday night-payday and when he finally showed up around 6:00 AM Saturday, he was disheveled and had hardly anything left of his paycheck. Later in the day, he beat one of the children for playing too loudly. Saturday night he went out and got drunk again and Sunday he took his feeling out on me." 

Another member of your congregation makes an appointment to see you. He unburdens a tale of woe you had no idea existed in his home. He describes scenes of anguish: finding his infant son unattended in the crib when he comes home from work, his wife passed out drunk on the kitchen floor. You've seen the family together at services and find it hard to believe this attractive woman can be as her husband describes her. 

A member of the clergy, who is familiar with the problems facing families of alcoholics, offers advice to his peers: "One of the greatest services an enlightened clergy can perform once the presence of alcoholism has been acknowledged, is to suggest that the non-alcoholic partner take advantage of the tremendous resources of help and healing available in AL-ANON.... Once the spouse of an alcoholic has found the acceptance and understanding of the AL-ANON fellowship, emotional and spiritual growth begins...The AL-ANON program teaches a change in attitude and style of living and members of the fellowship who thus develop new priorities for their lives, are able to make a significant spiritual contribution to any religious community." 

"This isn't, however, to minimize the contribution of the counselor. The family's frequent lack of understanding of the forces at work in alcoholism, demands considerable insight and interpretation on the part of the counselor. It requires much more than passive listening. Such counseling is, in effect, two persons working together to explore and resolve a problem." (Taken from "The Clergy and the Family Disease" in AL-ANON FACES ALCOHOLISM by AFG, Inc.)

 

 

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

DID YOU KNOW?
AL-ANON is a spiritual program, not a religious one.
AL-ANON, a non-denominational program, is compatible with all religious beliefs.
Religious institutions are the primary location for AL-ANON meetings throughout the world.

 

FOR THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY

DID YOU KNOW?
Al-Anon is for anyone whose life has been affected by a problem drinker, including a co-worker.
Al-Anon members will come and speak at your company.

Professionals can request informaton here:  http://www.al-anon.org/request-form-for-professionals

 

According to a national survey released by the Bureau of National Affairs, alcoholism and drug abuse cost American businesses more than $39 billion a year in lost productivity. Accidents related to alcohol and drug abuse, the survey found, were responsible for losses of an additional $81 billion. In a Gallup poll on alcohol abuse in America, 81 % of the respondents identified alcohol abuse as a national problem. In fact, one-third of those respondents reported that drinking causes problems in their own families. Those figures paint a vivid picture of the magnitude of the disease of alcoholism and its costly effect on the business community. Clearly, it is cost-effective for the business sector to identify alcoholism as a family disease. Using Al-Anon as a major resource can provide help for those affected by a problem drinker. 

Here's what Paul Sherman, Ph.D., an alcoholism consultant to the business community, says about it: "Having an alcoholic spouse can have a more devastating effect on the performance of an executive than if the executive himself is the alcoholic...There will be times when the performance of an alcoholic executive is not visibly impaired by the disease. The constant preoccupation about an alcoholic spouse and worry about what might be going on at home, however, will affect the executive on a continuous basis." At many companies throughout the country, Al-Anon members meet during lunch hour. At these workday meetings, members share their experience, strength and hope with each other. The affected member receives comfort and support and the employer gets a more productive employee.

 

 

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