Al-Anon

A good friend of mine is a recovering alcoholic and I decided to check out Al-Anon, a support group for those in relationships with alcoholics. My coworker at the florist said that her mom went for four years and loved it. She said that it just gave her practical life advice.

It was held in the library of a local Church of Christ. The meeting was set up a lot like the one AA meeting I went to with my friend. The twelve steps are read, new-comers are welcomed, and some story is read or shared that starts off the evening's discussion.;

After the AA meeting I decided that I think that the church should be like an AA meeting. People come in, are reminded of the truths of the Bible, someone shares a story from the Bible or how God has acted in their life, and people respond. It'd be a great support group.

I think I'm going to go back to Al-Anon because it's basically a support group for codependents. The woman who shared her personal story was going to share it last week but her (alcoholic) husband was in a serious car accident. She shared the story of how she was coping with almost eerie serenity. She put the responsibility for the accident on her husband. She was going to help him deal with the practical repercussions but was not going to take on the emotional stress and regret that was his. amazing.

Later on, the 3 C's were mentioned:

- didn't cause it

- can't control it

- can't cure it

other things:

- Everyone’s doing the best they can

- don’t give advice; share experience, life, and hope.

- when the student is willing the teacher appears

- boundaries and unconditional love

- back off until they respect the boundaries

There's a lot I can learn from these men and women in al-anon about life and relationships. I think I'm going to start going regularly.