The Forum is an international monthly publication of Al-Anon Family Groups, that offers help and hope for the families and friends of alcoholics.  Al-Anon and Alateen members share their challenges, insights, and progress along their path of self-discovery and spiritual growth.  The magazine also includes topics for discussion at meetings as well as news and information from Al-Anon's World Service Conference and World Service Office. To order your subscription click External link opens in new tab or windowHere


The following articles are reprinted from the December 2024 issue, with permission of  The Forum,

Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.,Virginia Beach, VA


Our Common Thread Provides Safety     by John K.

I have found the rooms of Al-Anon to be a safe place for me.  I say this because all who attend share the common thread of being affected by the disease of alcoholism.  Ultimately, I've come to realize I don't feel judgement from others in the meetings, which has made them a safe place to share from the heart.  No, this doesn't happen overnight but, in time, the walls do come down.  For me, sharing played a big part in my healing.  I like who I am in the rooms of Al-Anon.


My Tool for Program Reflection      by Anonymous

I belong to an electronic Al-Anon group, categorized on the Al-Anon meeting search page as a "bulletin board" group.  I love it!  It has become a powerful tool for working my program, because of the unique advanges a bulletin board format provides over the live meetings.

     My ability to attend bulletin board meetings is not limited by set meeting times.  These meetings are open and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  I can go every day, which has made a big difference in my progress.

     Bulletin board meetings are conducted in writing, with sharings posted and left up for a month.  I can go back and revisit anything I find helpful, which allows me to study Conference Approved Literature (CAL) and absorb the experience, strength, and hope shared.

     Each morning there is a new meeting topic posted on the site, with corresponding CAL and a lead from the meeting chairperson.  Just as in any Al-Anon meeting, experience, strength, and hope from members follows.  If I don't feel ready to share, I can go about my day, explore my reactions and feelings around the topic, and then come back to post my share when my thoughts have settled.  Bulletin board meetings allow me to develop a deeper understanding of the topic and of myself.


From Crisis to Awakening   by Jeannie H.

I had been in Al-Anon for six years when a family crisis erupted that involved my grandchildren and required immediate action to ensure their safety in that moment.  I was able to deescalate the situation; then I promptly came home to call a friend on the Sponsor list.  I turned it over to God and held on tight.  I refer to that day as my spiritual awakening.  The three and a half years since have been nothing short of a miracle.

     Initially, I was ashamed to share my feelings with another person even though we sat in the same meeting together week after week.  My Sponsor was keenly aware of the emotions that new sponsees have, and even though the process seemed slow, we began.  My Sponsor suggeested weekly Conference Approved Literature (CAL) reading assignments to complete.  I was given the workbooks Reaching for Personal Freedom (P-92) and Blueprint for Progress: Al-Anon's Fourth Step Inventory (P-91).

     I am still completing Reaching for Personal Freedom, and I enjoy the pace we have set.  Week by week, I take notice of the spiritual recovery that is occurring as a result of working my program and talking with my Sponsor, and I am grateful.  I could never have imagined that life, with all its ups and downs, could be so beautiful.  To think it started with a phone call to find a Sponsor.


Passing on the Help I've Found    by Betsy T.

As I pondered my resolution for the New Year, I realized that the best resolution I could make to myself would be to continue my recovery in Al-Anon.

     When I had been in Al-Anon about one and a half years, my alcoholic loved one had completed a seven month recovery program and, to my knowledge, was not drinking.  I had accepted without reservation that I had not caused the drinking, nor could I control or cure it.  I was far more serene than when I'd first come into the meeting rooms.  At that time, I wondered whether I still belonged in Al-Anon.  I needed to resolve this question, and, as always, Al-Anon gave me the tools to make the best decision.

     As I worked through my thoughts on the issue, I considered how Al-Anon encourages me to focus on myself - my own faulty attitudes, thinking, and behaviour.  The Twelfth Step tells me that this is a program for all of my life, not just my interactions and relationships with the alcoholics in my life.  Al-Anon is a recovery program for every life situation.  I had experienced serenity under pressure, and I wanted more of that.   I had had a couple of Al-Anon miracles, and I wanted more of those.  I could see the progress I had made toward not just surviving but thriving, no matter the circumstances.  Even more would be great.

     That was years ago.  Through the experience, strength, and hope of other members, I have found answers to nagging questions; relief from fear, anger, and loneliness; an ever-increasing serenity; and an understanding of myself that I never dreamed possible.  I realized that to quit Al-Anon because my life had become better would be incredibly selfish.  It would be hoarding all I had gained for myself.  Other members had helped me; I needed to do all I could to "carry this message to others."

     I am so glad I chose to continue attending meetings, reading Al-Anon literature, doing service, and sharing my experience, strength, and hope as generously and honestly as others had with me.  It is through all members sharing that the program helps friends and families of alcoholics all over the world.

     I know my commitment to Al-Anon is a resolution I will keep as long as I live.  The more I use the tools, the more I grow.  It has made an incredibly positive difference in my world.


My Alateen Story      by Alicia

The moment I noticed something wasn't right with my parents was when I needed help with my homework one day, and I asked my dad to help me.  When I went over to him, he had a beer in his hand, and he hid it behind his back, saying, "I will be right there," while shooing me away.  I thought, Why did he hide it behind his back?  I felt confused and upset.  My parents were getting into fights at that time, and I felt too scared to tell my mom because I just thought it would start up another war between the.  After that, I became a fixer.  I always held in my emotions in order to try to fix the fighting between my parents and keep peace in my home.

     Sometime after this, my mom began going to Al-Anon and had been active in the program for a year when my dad went away for rehab.  My parents sat us down the night before, and my dad admitted that he had a drinking problem.  At first, after hearing what my dad said, I felt unemotional; I didn't know how to feel.  The next morning, my dad left, and I thought, Why is this happening to me? Watching my dad leave made me feel overwhelmed.  That was nearly three years ago.

   When my mom introduced me to Alateen, I honestly thought it was going to be very boring.  I felt like I didn't need to go, like I had everything figured out, and I was fine.  Before Alateen, I felt as if I couldn't talk about my feelings at all, whether I was sad, angry, emotional, etc.  But after attending meetings and hearing that others had experiences like mine, I felt like I belonged there.  I felt like people could understand how I felt, and I realized I didn't have to hold it all in just so everything could look perfect from the outside.  Just a few months later, we decided to start an Alateen group in our town.  It has been nine months since our meeting began, and Alateen has made a big impact on my life - not just related to the alcoholic, but with school as well as my mental health.

     The slogans stand out to me as really important.  The two that I find most helpful are "One Day at a Time" and "Let Go and Let God."  These slogans help me to take my time and not worry about anyone else but myself.  I cannot control the words or actions of someone else, but in Alateen, I've learned that I can control mine.  "One Day at a Time" reminds me to stay in the present, rather than living in the past or the future.  Keeping my thoughts in the past or the future does not allow me to enjoy the time that I have now, in the present.  These simple lessons help me let go of others' problems and focus on my growth.

     When we formed our group, we decided to open our meeting to ages seven through eighteen.  Most of the time, our group's members are nine through fifteen, but even when there are seven-year-olds in a meeting, they have experience, strength, and hope to share.  While in our Area the Alateen meetings remain small, it is my hope that our meetings will grow as families remember that alcoholism really is a family disease, and all children can benefit from having a safe space to work through their experiences together.