This was the topic at my face-to-face home group meeting tonight.

I'm ashamed to say that after six and a half years in Alanon I have rarely looked at The Twelve Concepts.  But tonight after listening to an excellent chair on the Fourth Concept.... "Participation is the key to harmony" I bought the CAL leaflet "The Concepts" and will give it further thought as I re-read it over this coming weekend.  The sub-title is 'Alanon's Best-Kept Secret. 

But if we think about it, 'participation' helps us on so many levels.  It starts when we reach out for help.  So many of us isolate and try to solve our problems by forcing our will.  We try everything we can think of to stop our loved ones drinking but eventually have to admit we are powerless.  Then we interact with others who are experiencing similar problems.  We participate in discussions, well, some of us can only listen at first., but that in my mind is still a form of participation.  The first small steps to recovery.

Then we start to participate in 'Service' to the Group.  Many of us start out by washing the cups at the end of the meeting.  That's participation.  Then as we felt stronger we took on other service positions, maybe helping to set out the literature at the start of the meeting, or becoming Treasurer, Group Rep, Area Rep. Or maybe we simply participate by sharing at meetings or phoning or emailing Alanon friends.

I was reminded tonight that another level of participation is truly global.  My little meeting tonight is a tiny cog in the worldwide fellowship of Alanon.  We are all equal.  [read the Concepts].  Whether our meetings have two, three, four or a hundred members we are all able to send a member to our Area Meetings to vote on issues and voice our opinions on how Alanon continues to progress. Each and every one of us has the right to vote. 

So, Participation is the key to harmony.  Harmony at Group level, Harmony at Global level and hopefully eventually through participation in the Alanon programme we as individuals will find some level of harmony in our personal lives whether we are living with active alcoholism or with those struggling with sobriety. 

I needed to be reminded tonight that I'm not alone, and yet again I got what I needed from participating in an f2f meeting. 

I thank my god for this programme and I thank you for reading this.   Sheila [she123]