‘Absolutely worked for me’: AA meetings provide hope for the future

AUDIO – IT WORKS IF YOU WORK IT –

July 30, 2024 – “It’s a family disease,” said Amy, a member of the Al-Anon group. “I’ve heard it said that for every alcoholic out there, some 14 other people will suffer from the consequences of their disease.” It was that realization that led to the founding of Al-Anon back in 1951, a full 16 years after the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.

“People eventually figured out that people who are affected by alcoholics have their own kind of crazy going on because they get trapped into trying to control the alcoholic in their lives,” Amy said. “What Al-Anon shows us is that all you can control is yourself and how you respond to the situation.”

Al-Anon does not purport to provide solutions for the alcoholic in one’s life. The focus of the organization, rather, is to provide a path for those affected by the disease that will make them able to cope with the hand they’ve been dealt. According to Amy, it’s a way to find the pieces of oneself that were lost to the addiction of others and find a way to gather those fragments and rebuild.

“When I first came to Al-Anon, I was really pissed off because no one told me how to stop the alcoholic. That’s what I needed … or so I thought,” said Amy. “But I learned that the focus is to learn to step back and control our reactions to the alcoholic.”

That’s accomplished by gathering with others who, in one form or another, share your problems and listen to their stories.