Hello, I'm _____________, and I'm grateful to be your Al-Anon chair for this
month. This is the opening for the weekly meeting of A Serenity Place.
May we all please observe a moment of silence to reflect on why we are here.
Would all those who care to please join me in opening with the Serenity Prayer:
God, grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.
We welcome you to A Serenity Place online Al-Anon meeting and hope you will
find in this fellowship the help and friendship we have been privileged to
enjoy.
We who live, or have lived, with the problem of alcoholism understand as
perhaps few others can. We, too, were lonely and frustrated, but in Al-Anon
we discover that no situation is really hopeless, and that it is possible
for us to find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is
still drinking or not.
We urge you to try our program. It has helped many of us find solutions that
lead to serenity. So much depends on our own attitudes, and as we learn to
place our problem in its true perspective, we find it loses its power to
dominate our thoughts and our lives.
The family situation is bound to improve as we apply the Al-Anon ideas.
Without such spiritual help, living with an alcoholic is too much for most
of us. Our thinking becomes distorted by trying to force solutions, and we
become irritable and unreasonable without knowing it.
The Al-Anon program is based on the suggested Twelve Steps of Alcoholics
Anonymous, which we try, little by little, one day at a time, to apply to
our lives along with our slogans and the Serenity Prayer. The loving
interchange of help among members and daily reading of Al-Anon literature
thus make us ready to receive the priceless gift of serenity.
Al-Anon is an anonymous fellowship. Everything that is said here, in the
group meeting and member-to-member, must be held in confidence. Only in this
way can we feel free to say what is on our minds and in our hearts, for this
is how we help one another in Al-Anon.
Suggested Preamble To The Twelve Steps
-----------------------------------------
The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of
alcoholics who share their experience, strength and hope in order to solve
their common problems.
We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid
in recovery.
Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity,
organization or institution. It does not engage in any controversy, neither
endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is
self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions.
Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by
practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of
alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.
THE TWELVE STEPS
----------------------------
Study of these Steps is essential to progress in the Al-Anon program. The
principles they embody are universal, applicable to everyone, whatever his
or her personal creed. In Al-Anon, we strive for an ever-deeper
understanding of these Steps, and pray for the wisdom to apply them to our
lives.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become
unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to
sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as
we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature
of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make
amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so
would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly
admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact
with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for
us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried
to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs.
THE TWELVE TRADITIONS
--------------------------------------
The Traditions that follow bind us together in unity. They guide the groups
in their relations with other groups, with AA and the outside world. They
recommend group attitudes toward leadership, membership, money, property,
public relations and anonymity. The Traditions evolved from the experience
of AA groups in trying to solve their problems of living and working together.
Al-Anon adopted these group guidelines, and over the years has found them
sound and wise. Although they are only suggestions, Al-Anon's unity and
perhaps even its survival are dependent on adherence to these principles.
1. Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest
number depends upon unity.
2. For our group purpose there is but one authority, a loving God as He may
express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted
servants; they do not govern.
3. The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may
call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they
have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there
be a problem of
alcoholism in a relative or friend.
4. Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another
group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.
5. Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of
alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by
encouraging and understanding
our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of
alcoholics.
6. Our Al-Anon Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name
to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige
divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we
should always cooperate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
7. Every Group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside
contributions.
8. Al-Anon Twelfth-Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our
service centers may employ special workers.
9. Our Groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service
boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
10. The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our
name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than
promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press,
radio, TV and films. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA
members.
12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever
reminding us to place principles above personalities.
The Three Obstacles to Success in Al-Anon
-------------------------------------------------------
All Al-Anon discussions should be constructive, helpful, loving and
understanding. In striving toward these ideals, we avoid topics which can
lead to dissension and that
can distract us from our goals.
1. DISCUSSION OF RELIGION:
Al-Anon is not allied with any religion. It is a spiritual program, based on
no particular form of religion. Everyone is welcome, no matter what
affiliation or none. Let us not defeat our purpose by entering into
discussions concerning specific religious beliefs.
2. GOSSIP:
We meet to help ourselves and others learn and use the Al-Anon philosophy.
In such group therapy, gossip can have no part in our program. We do not
discuss members or others, and particularly not the alcoholic. Our
dedication to anonymity gives people confidence in Al-Anon. Careless
repeating of matters heard at Al-Anon meetings can defeat the very purpose
for which we are joined together.
3. DOMINANCE:
Our leaders are chosen not to govern, but to serve. No member of Al-Anon
should direct, assume authority, or give advice. Our program is based on
suggestion, interchange of experience, and rotation of leadership. Any
attempt to manage or direct is likely to have serious consequences for group
harmony.
ANONYMITY
------------------
A special word on anonymity. Tradition 12 reads, "Anonymity is the
spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place
principles above personalities."
We respectfully ask that no AA, Al-Anon or Alateen member be identified by
full name or that any postings here be copied or published in any way or
manner outside of this list.
The assurance of anonymity is essential to our efforts to help other
families of alcoholics.
Please remember ---
Who you see here
What you hear here
When you leave here
Let it stay here
Revised: 5/15/96
Posted: 7/22/96 2019