Today both programs are an integral part of my life. I do service in both, have home groups in both, and sponsor in both. My “Al-Anon defects of character” will get me drunk if I’m not careful, and my “alcoholic thinking” will destroy my healthy relationships if I don’t stay on the ball. That’s why, after all this time, I’m still a grateful “double winner.”
Many people mistakenly think Al-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous are the same thing. The confusion is understandable, since both programs use the Twelve Steps and group support to help people recover from the effects of alcoholism. Moreover, the names are undeniably similar.
The two fellowship’s purposes are different, though. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA for short) seeks to help those who want to quit drinking, while Al-Anon Family Groups offer help and hope for friends and families of problem drinkers. But the two programs have been intertwined from the beginning.
When it became apparent that my husband’s drinking was “out of control,” he joined Alcoholics Anonymous. I thought, “OK, now our life will go back to normal.” When he relapsed a year later it felt like a punch in the gut. I spiraled into dark thoughts: “Why isn’t this working? Are we doomed to repeat…
