Millions of people are affected by the excessive drinking of someone close. The following questions are designed to help you decide whether or not you need Al-Anon.
YES or NO
Do you worry about how much someone drinks?
Do you have money problems because of someone else's drinking?
Do you tell lies to cover up for someone else's drinking?
Do you feel if the drinker loved you, he or she would stop drinking to please you?
Do you blame the drinkers behavior on his or her companions?
Are plans frequently upset or canceled or meals delayed because of the drinker?
Do you make threats, such as, "If you don't stop drinking, I'll leave you"?
Do you secretly try to smell the drinker's breath?
Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set off a drinking bout?
Have you been hurt or embarrassed by a drinker's behavior?
Are holidays and gatherings spoiled because of drinking?
Have you considered calling the police for help in fear of abuse?
Do you search for hidden alcohol?
Do you often ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking?
Have you refused social invitations out of fear or anxiety?
Do you sometimes feel like a failure when you think of the lengths you have gone to in order to control the drinker?
Do you think that if the drinker stopped drinking, your other problems would be solved?
Do you ever threaten to hurt yourself to scare the drinker?
Do you feel angry, confused or depressed most of the time?
Do you feel there is no one who understands your problems?
Al-Anon is for families, relatives, and friends whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. If someone close to you, such as a family member, friend, co-worker, or neighbor, has or has had a drinking problem, the following questions may help you determine if Al-Anon is for you: 1. Do you constantly seek approval and affirmation? 2. Do you fail to recognize your accomplishments? 3. Do you fear criticism? 4. Do you overextend yourself? 5. Have you had problems with your own compulsive behavior? 6. Do you have a need for perfection? 7. Are you uneasy when your life is going smoothly, continually anticipating problems? 8. Do you feel more alive in the midst of a crisis? 9. Do you still feel responsible for others, as you did for the problem drinker in your life? 10. Do you care for others easily, yet find it difficult to care for yourself? 11. Do you isolate yourself from other people? 12. Do you respond with fear to authority figures and angry people? 13. Do you feel that individuals and society in general are taking advantage of you? 14. Do you have trouble with intimate relationships? 15. Do you confuse pity with love, as you did with the problem drinker? 16. Do you attract and/or seek people who tend to be compulsive and/or abusive? 17. Do you cling to relationships because you are afraid of being alone? 18. Do you often mistrust your own feelings and the feelings expressed by others? 19. Do you find it difficult to identify and express your emotions? 20. Do you think someone's drinking may have affected you? If you have answered "Yes" to any of these questions, Al-Anon or Alateen may help you. FIND A MEETING NOW
WHAT CAN I EXPECT AT AN AL-ANON MEETING?
Here are a few things to keep in mind at your first meeting
Al‑Anon is a mutual support group. Everyone at the meeting shares as an equal. No one is in a position to give advice or direction to anyone else. Everyone at the meeting has experienced a problem with someone else’s drinking.
You are free to ask questions or to talk about your situation at your first meeting. If you’d rather just listen, you can say “I pass,” or explain that you’d just like to listen.
Every meeting is different. Each meeting has the autonomy to be run as its members choose, within guidelines designed to promote Al‑Anon unity. Al‑Anon recommends that you try at least six different meetings before you decide if Al‑Anon will be helpful to you.
Al‑Anon is not a religious program. Even when the meeting is held in a religious center, the local Al‑Anon group pays rent to that center and is not affiliated in any way with any religious group. Your religious beliefs—or lack of them—are not a subject for discussion at Al‑Anon meetings, which focus solely on coping with the effects of someone’s drinking. Here’s how one Al‑Anon member found the “Higher Power” of his own understanding.
It will take some time to fully understand the significance of anonymity to the Al‑Anon program. But at its simplest level, anonymity means that the people in the room will respect the confidentiality of what you say and won’t approach you outside the room in a way that compromises your privacy or the privacy of anyone who attended an Al‑Anon meeting.
The meeting will likely begin with a reading of the Twelve Steps of Al‑Anon. It will take some time to fully understand how the Twelve Steps can be a helpful tool in recovering from the effects of someone’s drinking. But Al‑Anon gives you the opportunity to grow at your own pace.
WHAT IS CAL (CONFERENCE APPROVED LITERATURE)?
Visit www.aisnm.org for more inforation. Al-Anon and Alateen Conference Approved Literature (CAL) includes daily readers, books and pamphlets that are published by Al-Anon World Services. CAL offers us comfort in knowing we are not alone and that our situation is not unique. There is a wealth of wisdom provided through stories that members tell by sharing their experience, strength and hope. Albuquerque Al-Anon Information Service maintains a complete stock of current Al-Anon and Alateen CAL. Anyone (Al-Anon groups and individual members, the public, health professionals, etc.) wishing to obtain Al-Anon or Alateen literature can purchase it from us in any of these ways. ● Visiting Our Albuquerque Office ● Phone – (505) 262-2177 ● E-mail – [email protected] ● US Mail -- 9004 Menaul NE, Suite #12, Albuquerque, NM 87112
What is the members site?
The members site offers more detailed information about Area highlights, documents, and group information. Password is lois1951
CAn i attend if my family/friend is addicted to drugs?
A symptom of Alcoholism in the home may be the abuse of drugs by family members. We recommend you attend at least 6 Al-Anon meetings before deciding if Al-Anon is for you.