In treating alcoholism, our team of professionals offers the following across-the-board advice: for families, there is no better resource than Al-Anon. The rationale behind this is simple: someone suffering from the disease of alcoholism is not an island unto himself. The effects of alcoholism and substance abuse are not limited to the user. There are vast and far-reaching repercussions that extend to anyone who cares for and is worried about the health and well-being of an alcoholic.
Al-Anon was co-founded in 1951 by Lois Wilson, the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson. Ms. Wilson knew firsthand the spiritual and emotional implications involved in being married to an alcoholic. As such, in knowing that the family and friends of an addict suffer greatly and in tandem with an alcoholic, she felt it her duty to provide a means through which individuals affected by alcoholism could share their stories and experiences.
Ms. Wilson sought, through the formation of Al-Anon, to create a well from which individuals could draw strength and renewed hope in the struggle against addiction. Alateen was later formed in 1957 under the umbrella of Al-Anon Family Groups as a support system for young people aged thirteen to nineteen affected by the disease of alcoholism.
A Powerful Weapon in Combating Alcoholism
Al-Anon aids those individuals suffering from hopelessness, despair, and an inability to cope with alcoholism in an effort to nurture the strength they need to recover from the effects of their loved one’s dependencies. Through the encouragement of fellowship and a heightened sense of the limits of one’s locus of control, Al-Anon seeks to mitigate the effect that alcoholism can have on an individual’s self-esteem. Through Al-Anon, individuals can grow to realize that the failings an addict may experience in his battle with alcoholism do not reflect failings in the friend or family member’s worth, allowing for healing and forgiveness to begin.
Al-Anon Family Groups espouses the importance of anonymity and the benefits of fellowship. In bringing people together, these two ideals foster an environment of equality, of mutual respect and understanding. In Al-Anon, all members are on equal footing, and no individual is in a position to give advice or direction. Rather, because all members have been touched by alcoholism and have decided to seek help, a system of empathy allows for individuals to feel a part of something greater, to feel understood and thus connected to a reality that may have been blurred by substance abuse. Al-Anon and Alateen seek to restore what alcoholism, for so long, may have worked to degrade: an individual’s sense of community.
Al-Anon Family Group Meetings
Meetings are held worldwide in various settings. And though Al-Anon meetings may sometimes be held at religious locations, it is important to note that Al-Anon describes itself as a spiritual fellowship. It does not discuss religious doctrine or practices; rather, in discussing its twelve steps and processes toward spiritual health, Al-Anon forms an environment in which people of all faiths can come together for support in combating alcoholism. Everyone is welcome, and there are no dues – though individuals can voluntary contribute to an Al-Anon chapter toward its financial liabilities – or requirements that members disclose personal information toward the cataloguing of members.
The goal of Al-Anon is recovery, and recovery is limited only by the desire of the individual to heal. For information regarding meetings, you can refer to the Al-Anon Family Groups website, and for local updates and listings, the Florida South Al-Anon Family Groups site is a wealth of information. Remember: the first step is admitting that a problem exists, and as a friend or family member of an alcoholic, you don’t have to deal with this alone.
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