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.
Today's C2C speaks of the principle of remaining unaffiliated with outside causes. It's an interesting one, because through al-anon many of us are freed from a life consumed by obsession with other people's lives and that leaves room for our own enrichment. Al-anon can't then be used as a platform to promote those new interests or perhaps even personal principles- that's simple enough to digest. But it gets trickier when trying to navigate how al-anon influences what we share with people outside of al-anon. Two examples that I often ponder are in online groups where people often post about drunk partners and abuse. You'll see a long list of well-intentioned advice and there are always a few people that say GO TO AL-ANON. I've responded that way myself and wondered if that was right, or if that violated this concept. So many people have never heard of it, or they think it is AA. My own psychologist thought al-anon was AA in fact which is sort of sad considering she specialises in trauma! And of course I have muddied the waters myself when I disclosed I was writing a memoir about escaping domestic violence and wondering if and how I could mention that al-anon had helped (and how it had helped). (My conclusion, if anyone is curious, was that I could simply discuss the merits of reaching out to (un-named) support groups and how listening and being heard worked for me). But I am still not entirely clear on how to approach this principle in my future endeavours because al-anon principles and ideas and slogans are so embedded in my narrative now that they come up consistently in my work and I have to think hard on whether it's OK to use slogans without crediting them, whether it's OK to say where I got the concept from, or whether it's ethical to spout wisdom or concepts I learned in al-anon in the course of work I am being paid for!
Apologies if this is more of a question than a "helpful share" but it's a very dense topic, and one I continually strive to understand. I very much look forward to other people's interpretations of this reading and the various dilemmas it can sometimes raise.
Thanks for your service YKM. Many things in life are complicated and open to different interpretations. What I try to stick with is that I am allowed to share my ESH, and that can include that I go to alanon and I have a much better life for it. It is not my place to speak about others.
I too see that many mental health professionals have not been trained in addiction. When I need to seek out professional help, as when my A and I were in counseling, we specifically went to an addiction/alcohol trained counselor.
