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Make It a Recovery Vacation

When you go on vacation, don’t leave recovery at home! Why not add a District or Area event to your itinerary? Whether it’s a meeting, workshop, or special gathering, these events are a great way to stay connected while you travel. Go to Al-Anon WSO Facebook Events or alanon.org/wso-events to find exciting events happening at your destination.

Accommodating Members with Special Needs

Not all meetings can accommodate special needs, but there are a lot of steps groups can take toward welcoming anyone, anywhere.

Is there elevator access as an alternative to stairs?
Can groups provide information about how to obtain Conference Approved Literature (CAL) on electronic devices to assist hearing- or sight-impaired members?
Do the facilities in which groups meet allow service animals?

Look up your group on al-anon.org to see what information is provided.

Understanding "Reported Not Meeting" Process

"Our Common Welfare"--Notes from the WSO

Understanding the “Reported Not Meeting” Process

Have you ever arrived at an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting only to find that the door was locked, that the location was incorrect, or that it had been canceled altogether? This can be incredibly frustrating and disappointing, especially for newcomers. Think back to when you attended your first meeting—if the door had been locked, would you have come back?

To address this issue, the World Service Office (WSO) provides a “Report an Issue” link for each meeting listed in the meeting search on al-anon.org. This allows individuals to notify the WSO if meeting information appears to be inaccurate.

When an issue is reported, WSO Staff will follow up with the affected group, and the meeting information will be temporarily removed from the search until its status can be verified. A notification will be emailed to the Current Mailing Address (CMA) to inform the group of the reported issue. If the group doesn’t respond within three business days, the matter will be escalated to the Area Group Records Coordinator for further assistance. If the meeting information cannot be verified within 90 days, the group is inactivated and removed from the meeting search.

Verifying your group information regularly and reporting changes promptly is crucial. You can submit your Al-Anon group change online at al-anon.org/grp-update anytime throughout the year.

“Inside Al-Anon Family Groups” presents news, policy, and commentary from volunteers, staff and readers sharing experience through service. Please feel free to reprint these articles on your service structure website or newsletter, along with this credit line: Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.

Carrying the Al-Anon Message Online

"Our Common Welfare" --Notes from the WSO

Carrying the Al-Anon Message Online

Whether we use social media to connect with friends and family or follow our favorite interests, [CC1] it has become a large part of our lives. Social media is one way we can carry the Al‑Anon message, but it can be tricky.

The Social Media Policy found in the Public Outreach section of the “Digest of Al-Anon and Alateen Policies” in the Al‑Anon/Alateen Service Manual (P-24/27) provides guidance about using social media to spread our message of help and hope to those suffering as a result another person’s alcoholism.

The Policy provides carefully defined service authority, such as who can create Al-Anon or Alateen social media pages/profiles and what roles groups and members can take on, so that each member and service arm can understand the role they play in using this avenue for carrying the message.

While sharing the message of help and hope to families and friends of alcoholics on social media, members are encouraged to practice obedience to the unenforceable by adhering [VF2] [ER3] to Al‑Anon Traditions. Tradition Eleven states, in part, “Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV.” This applies to our online presence as well, as does Tradition Twelve, which states, “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.”

Writings from the Heart of Al-Anon

Inside Al-Anon Family Groups

The Value of Sharing Our Experience

Before Al‑Anon, I thought the loving thing to do when anyone shared their problems with me was to offer them my best advice about how to fix whatever the problem was. Whether I had any expertise related to their problem or not, I would eagerly tell the person what I thought they should do. Solutions popped around in my mind like popcorn kernels in a kettle of hot oil.

When I got to my first Al‑Anon meeting and heard the guidelines for sharing—something about not giving advice and speaking from our own experience—I wondered how anyone was going to get the help they needed. More than that, I wondered how I was going to get the help Ineeded if no one there could tell me what to do.

Fittingly, the name of my home group was “Listen and Learn.” As members shared their experiences, I recognized my own and felt relief that I was not alone. As they shared the tools and spiritual principles that helped them navigate their various alcoholic family situations and personal challenges, I learned that I could use those same tools and apply those same principles to my life.

I found more of this valuable experience, strength, and hope in the pages of our Conference Approved Literature (CAL). There were even indexes where I could look up specific topics! Al‑Anon literature is the source of help that it is not because it advises or tells members what to do, but because it is made up of the lived experiences of our members. Reading about the myriad ways Al‑Anon members apply our Legacies and program principles gives me resources, options, and most of all, hope for dealing with the effects of the family disease of alcoholism.

In 2023, the World Service Conference (WSC) approved the development of a new piece of literature on PERSONAL AND SERVICE SPONSORSHIP (working title) focusing on members’ personal stories. In 2024, the WSC approved the development of a piece of literature about how members apply Al‑Anon principles to their relationship with finances. The World Service Office (WSO) is currently seeking sharings for the FINANCES IN AL‑ANON RECOVERY piece (working title) and the PERSONAL AND SERVICE SPONSORSHIP piece. (Visit al-anon.org/sharingto see the detailed writing guides for each and to submit online.)

Additionally, WSO Staff will be conducting writing workshops at the 2025 A.A. International Convention with Al‑Anon and Alateen participation in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 3–6, 2025. Writing workshops will be offered in English and Spanish and will focus on the new CAL as well as on writing about the Legacies and writing for our magazines.

Thanks to Al‑Anon, I no longer blurt out advice or tell other people what to do. I can tell you, though, that sharing my experience in writing, whether for The Forum or another piece of CAL in development, has enriched my recovery. In sharing my experience, strength, and hope, I always receive far more than I give.

By Carol C., Associate Director—Literature

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