How Have Al-Anon Slogans Impacted Me.

When first came to Al-Anon meetings, I was given materials to read and a list of meeting to try out.  I did not open any of the materials or read about the program.  I wanted to know how to stop my son from drinking and lower my level of anxiety.  After attending a variety of meetings, I found 2 or 3 regular meetings that I could regularly tolerate.  Most of the meetings I attended were either old timers talking about concepts that I could not relate to or newbies, like me, that were in acute situations. 

What I did hear from people in all the meetings was their need to change how they think and their desire to gain control of their lives and not necessarily the lives of the people that got them to the program.

During the meetings, people would often read from the literature and discuss the steps.  I received a workbook on the steps and began to work with my son on the steps together.  I knew his road to recovery would be long and hard but I felt the need to be the example for him.

I was introduced to the slogans by people in the meetings and then realized many of the slogans are in my surrounding environment.  I have seen slogans now on bumper stickers, billboards, tattoos, t-shirts, restaurant menus and numerous everyday displays. 

I also realized that when I read a slogan, I began to think about something different that what currently on my mind.  I did not like the simplicity of slogans and found the simplicity somewhat insulting.  Still, it was undeniable that I would change my thoughts when I saw them.  So I began to experiment with them.  If I was feeling off in anyway, I would pick a slogan, say it and see what happened.  Most of the time, nothingOnce in a while, I moved away from my automatic thoughts to more conscience thoughts.

I looked at the scientific reasoning on why I was being impacted by slogans. Which ones had an impact.  I quickly realized the slogans are used as a short mental interrupt to stop my train of thought and give me the opportunity to choose my train of thought.  I also learned to call on the slogans when needed and that I can convey where I am at with others in the program and sometimes with people not in the program.  I found when I heard other people use a slogan, relaxed and expressed nonjudgmental compassion to them with a verbal acknowledgement, tough on arm, smile or just a conscience deep quiet breath.

Slogans continue to perplex me in the sense that they are simple, effective and relatively easy to use.  I looked for the complex rational for mind manipulation and found a basic simple solution.  Now I realize how I overthink most things in my life and how I have identified myself this way.  Slogans are helping me to stay on my program and be true to myself.  Right now, the slogan I use the most is Keep Coming Back.  This saying reminds me to return to my groups, books and people who help me live a better life everyday