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.
There have been some questions regarding literature (books), what others would recommend and so on. For newcomers this could possibly be confusing when we start recommending outside literature without clarifying that it is not Al-Anon (CAL) literature.
In Al-Anon meetings, we keep it Al-Anon. There is an explanation of why we do this in our Traditions. Only CAL is used in the meetings.
Outside of meetings, such as open chat or here on the board, we are free to discuss other things that have also helped us. I have other books on my own shelf which are not CAL, but which I find helpful along with my Al-Anon program. I have mentioned a few of these books at time....The Dance of Anger by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D, Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much by Anne Wilson Schaef.... I love those books. They are outside literature, not Al-Anon, but I enjoy them and find helpful things in them.
Others have mentioned websites regarding recovery. I've checked some of them out. I've found interesting things there too at times.
My point is: we can find helpful information in all kinds of places. There is nothing wrong with searching things out, looking at a variety of information, sharing what we've found with others outside of meetings. Because this is an Al-Anon group here, I am just very careful to clarify what is and what isn't CAL literature. As mentioned above, in our Al-Anon meetings, we only use CAL.
For the sake of clarity and to avoid confusion to newcomers when they are asking about what literature is best, I'd simply clarify which books are CAL and used in the meetings, and which books are outside literature but could also be helpful.
With program love, Kis
__________________
Let your light shine in the darkness. "I can't just bring my mind to meetings...I must also bring my heart."
*nods* It took me a long time to grasp the concept of "Confrence Approved" things, while still understanding how groups had "autonomy.
I too think it behooves us to be specific as is possible with newcomers, beginners, or those curious, which books we as individuals use for our own growth and supplement, and which books the over all body of Al Anon International suggests for growth and overall unity.
I can understand not wanting to confuse people with outside literature in meetings (especially newcomers,) but is there a specific rule that people aren't allowed to share a quote from "outside literature" that they felt was helpful to them in their recovery? I recently attended my meeting and wanted to share a quote that was on topic - I mentioned that it wasn't from CAL, but I was going to talk about the quote and the topic in my 3 minutes to share. Another member interrupted abruptly to say that I couldn't share if it wasn't from CAL. I was really surprised as other people have shared poems or quotes from other areas before, and it's always seemed to be ok as long as they're clear what is CAL and what isn't. The interaction made me think that perhaps there are some really specific rules that I'm just not aware of. Can you point me in the right direction? Thanks!
