"He is either gonna drink, or he won't.... what are YOU gonna do?"

Karilynn · ~*Service Worker*~

Can someone explain please?

sdisnie · Senior Member

I'm sorry I can't answer your question because I have no idea, but I'll tell you that I prefer coming to this site rather than meetings because I get so much more from here.

Here I only have the option of a meeting once a week, whereas this site, I can come on anytime I want, hear what others have to say, and put down my thoughts which is much easier to do than at a real Alanon meeting. I have to say that coming here I've learned how to live better, and do the right things.

Hope you can find your answer......

Shanda

nal · Senior Member

Karilynn,

I could be completely wrong here... maybe it's copyright related?

Nancy

hersh · ~*Service Worker*~

((Hi Karilyn)))

From being in AA a while, I noticed that at some meetings it was a problem to read from "non-approved AA literature" which is just what it says, AA or ALANON approved literature, it says somewhere on the pamphlet or reading or book that it is.

I personally feel that whatever helps you, go for it! I have posted a quote from Language from Letting Go on this board and apparently it is against copyright to do so, but I feel that book and many others can help so many people!

Some ALANON and AA meetings are stricter than others, but it is nice to have a relaxed attitude because this is saving people's lives. I know the programs need to stick to their traditions, etc., but when it comes to small things like readings and such, I think AA (I don't know about ALANON) tends to think that their literature and their way is the ONLY way. I think you just grab whatever knowledge you can and help yourself!!! I know I am reading a TON of self-help books right now, and I really really need them. Live and let live!!!

Have a great day...

Love, HeidiXXX

Dolphin123 · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi Karilynn,

Hmmmmmm, great question. Now I am going to try to answer to the best of my ability, and hopefully the right words will find there way to the keyboard .

The Literature that is approved is called CAL (Conferenced Approved Literature), and is approved for use in meetings by the WSO (World Service Office). Now just becasue a book is not CAL, does not mean that it isn't helpful. I for one have finally acted on some great suggestions from two members and got the book Getting Them Sober. It isn't CAL, but it has helped me.

Now, why can't we discuss non-CAL literature in meetings. Well I do mention it, to some extent. I don't mention the name of the book or the name of the person who wrote it, but merely a point or a thought. The reason I think we do this (and please moderators if I am wrong please let me know) is that if we started discussing all the books out there and all the therapists out there then we would be diverted from our primary spiritual aim and start to become a book club of sorts.

Me personally when I am in a meeting and someone mentions the work they do with their therapists and goes into details, I don't really intend to, but I tune them out. This is not what alanon is for. Alanon is to share ESH.

I think what it boils down to is program integrity. And keeping with CAL, helps maintain the integrity.

Yours in reocvery,
Dolphin123

I wanted to add that in AA, NA, and Alanon, if you mentioned non-CAL, then they would kindly ask you to change the subject in my area. Once again, to maintain the integrity of the program.

Also from my understanding in open chat and here on the board it is appropriate to discuss non-CAL as well.

-- Edited by Dolphin123 at 11:41, 2006-08-02

tea2 · ~*Service Worker*~

Hello (((( Karilynn ))))

I would say Dolphin got it. This is what I think:

In Al-Anon meetings we are only to read from and quote from our CAL Literature -(Conference Approved Literature) These materials are the ones that have the Triangle logo with the circle in the center of it.

There is a sign that reads “Al-Anon Spoken Here”

For example at one of my face to face a member asked if it was ok to quote from the AA Big Book, there happened to be a ISR (Information Service Rep) present, she said and I quote, “We aren’t supposed to in meetings because the Al-Anon word can get diluted,

In Al-Anon we keep it strictly Al-Anon.. “

http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/english.html and click on Publications you will see what books that are Al-Anon.

Here on the message board we can talk of whatever we find helpful to our recovery because we are outside of a meeting, although we must be careful not to copyright any material, paragraphs etc.

Good question, I hope this helps

care and wishes, tea2

canadianguy · ~*Service Worker*~

Some good responses to this question, around CAL approved literature.... I think, in addition to what has been said, this is a bit of a "safety valve" rule, to avoid some of the extremists out there....

If you go into any major library, you can find books under the addictions field ranging from "witch doctor type of solutions", to psychologists suggesting we just "need to be nicer to our A's and then they won't drink so much", to very religious books advising that "alcoholism is no different than any number of character defects", to all sorts of absurd offerings of "recovery". I would hate to see the chaos and confusion if we allowed any and every opinion into our world - we would be chasing our tails for decades!!! :)

I believe that both AA and Al-Anon are consistent with this rule, of CAL approved literature only...

Tom

maresie2 · ~*Service Worker*~

You know there was a time when I would start a campaign around this stuff. I would try to get more mainstream stuff into the approved list. There are tons of great great resources on codependency these days. I wish I had been able to embrace the issue before but I was not ready. There are good reasons for the conference approved literature and other reasons too.

I am always amazed by the wisdom in the big book as I am by the wisdom in the al anon approved literature. Personally I read very very widely. I don't make it a cause anymore. It helps me. I don't try to control anyone else's recovery any more either. I've been there done that. I also have a friend who would like to do that to me. I am not willing to go there with her anymore. I no longer fight or try to change much except me.

Maresie.

abbyal · ~*Service Worker*~

Hi Karilynn , we only use confrence approved literature in our program to keep it soley Al-Anon what person chooses to read outside of meetings is none of our business but for the hr that the meeting is in session Confrence Approved Literature only .

Language of letting go is something tht AA uses in it's program and it is a great daily reader but again not al anon literature.

To keep our program solidly Al-Anon and our focus alcoholism and the recovery from it - it helps to keep it simple. It was suggested to me to read only Al-Anon literature for the first yr so as not to confuse.There are several things that address this issue , in our tradions and concepts u will find your answers there.

Al-Anon prints several books that u will find at meetings , or your local literature depot.

Tiger2006 · ~*Service Worker*~

To be technical, Kari, The Language of Letting Go is NOT AA approved, either. The technical deal with a confrence approved book is that the literature committee in Virginia Beach meets about 1x a year I believe to review the current needs of the members of al anon--how has alcholism changed? What are members writing about in the forum? What are members discussing in the meetings? What are current issues facing family members of alcholism?

Some of the issues that have arisen out of these committee meetings: The recognition that adult children of alcholism share special issues not necessarily seperate from, but in addition to, the needs of the traditional al anon member (this yielded the books HOPE FOR TODAY and FROM SURVIVAL TO RECOVERY); the recognition that many members are new at journaling and reflection for the first time (again, yielding the now out of print Confrence approved literature based, spiral bound journals, so new comers could get a feel for taking a few minutes each day, writing and reflecting); that the orginial BLUEPRINT FOR PROGRESS was not reaching the core issues that needed to be addressed in a 4th step (yielding a revised, longer, more detailed BLUEPRINT FOR PROGRESS); the reality that more and more treatment centers are mandating that family members go to al anon meetings (the real kind you know what I mean) before being allowed to see their loved ones (this created the pamphlets reguarding "What to expect when your loved one is in treatment;" "What happens after treatment")and, lastly, that more and more alcholics will relapse enough times (yielding pamphlets about relapse) and possibly go to jails and prison (again, yielding pamphlets about what to expect when your loved one is in the legal system, and how to practice detatchment).

If your local meeting doesn't carry a full stock of these pamphlets, the world service does, and they're like $0.35 each or something like that. I mean, cheap is the operative word. But the key of what makes the literature Confrence Approved or not is that it arrives out of the needs of the members. Keep in mind, for example, that it's only within the past 10 years that al anon has opened up and talked about the fact that violence, incest, and financial ruin are VERY common in alcholic families. Up until that point, from what the old timers have shared in leads those kind of things were "Sponsor only" conversations, and theres a solid strain of folks out there that STILL feel that way. However, the confrence has felt that enough people are starting to talk openly of these subjects that they need to be brought out into the open they need to be given an "official face (and again, some of these can be found in things like FROM SURVIVAL TO RECOVERY, et cetera)".

So why do we, here in Al Anon and AA subscribe so severely to The language of letting go? Purely because it's so general it can be applied anywhere. It's also written by a recovering alcholic who's also in al anon. I have yet to find someone in AA or Al Anon who does not believe this book works.

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.

"He is either gonna drink, or he won't.... what are YOU gonna do?"