The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
and she was grateful. I got no judgements for people who enter AA and declare themselves alcoholic and who are really there to that they can show the alcoholics in their life what clean and sober is all about.
I was at my Saturday morning AA by the Bay group and a visitor from out of the area chose to speak. She is here because her alcoholic daughter has been having trouble and she was going to "help her out"....NOT!! Ended up leaving the daughter and her booze and her problems at a beach site they were going to and driving off because "she had had enough". I listened for the why was she at the meeting and plain as day it was to do recovery so she could prove to her daughter it was the way to do it. God do I remember early Al-Anon until I was told "you work this program for yourself and leave your alcoholic wife out side. I was also told that I had to remove myself from all things alcohol which included my family of origin and my alcoholic/addict wife. Letting go of my alcoholic/addict wife was so terribly hard and sad for me; I wept like a baby and felt like my soul was cut out of me. I thought it was like leaving a helpless infant in the middle of a rush hour intersection where she would surely get killed. I remember well. After the meeting I invited her outside to talk Al-Anon. I listened to her story about her daughter and her other binge drinking husband at home. "He starts drinking at 9AM and isn't done until he drops". The man qualifies as one of my relatives and qualifiers and I'm sure not only mine.
I spoke Alaneese with her and told her some of my story when it confirmed what she was going thru and she asked questions...the most important ones were about where she could get information where she could read about the disease. I asked her if she had a computer and she said no, "but I do have an Ipad"....lol...she had it on her and I held it as she typed in the AFG/WSO. I told her she was not in contact that that the site had information on literature and she could find the meetings in her area. She was grateful and I was also for this program that saved my life just like the beginning I had. I forgot I had Al-Anon literature in my truck...getting old...and then maybe she will be back tomorrow for the Sunday version. What was her name anyway? Doesn't matter does it...anonymity and such?
Sounds like you did a great job keeping it Alanon at an Alanon meeting. Thanks for the reminder that welcoming newcomers doesn't end with table introductions and a newcomer's packet at the beginning of the meeting. I still remember with gratitude the Alanons who spoke with me in my early days of recovery at the end of meetings - the ones who offered their experience, strength and hope, expressed a sincere interest in my well being and told me they hoped to see me next week. Sometimes it all too easy to run off to the next thing in our own lives after a meeting rather than spend a moment with the newcomer. Thanks for sharing your wonderful example of the Alanon twelfth step in action. Glad you keep coming back to share here. TT
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Surround yourself with people and elements that support your destiny, not just your history.
From your post, I was also reminded of how welcomed I felt before, during and after my beginning al anon meetings. Now, I am present to how few times I have actually done the same for others. Thank you for being a caring, wise influence.
