Al-Anon/Alateen

Al-Anon and Alateen are international organizations jointly known as Al-Anon Family Groups with a membership of over half a million men, women and teens, providing a twelve-step program of recovery for friends and family members of alcoholics. Al-Anon is for adults within the program whereas Alateen is for young people (ages 12 to 20). Al-Anon was formed in 1951 by Lois Wilson, wife of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) co-founder Bill Wilson. She recognized the need for such an organization as family members living with AA members began to identify their own pathologies associated with their family members' alcoholism. In the USA, Al-Anon is organized as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in many states.cite journal |last=Kverme |first=A |title=Al-Anon. A resource for families and friends of alcoholics |year=1990 |month=February |volume=110 |issue=5 |pages=608–609 |language=Norwegian |journal=Tidsskrift for den Norske laegeforening |pmid=2309213] cite journal |last = Haaken | first = Janice |title=From Al-Anon to ACOA: Codependence and the Reconstruction of Caregiving |journal=Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society | volume = 18 | issues = 2 |year =1993 | pages = 321–345 | issn = 0097-9740 |issue=2 |doi=10.1086/494795]

In Lois's Story, she explained why, as the spouse of an alcoholic, she also required treatment.Quote
After a while I began to wonder why I was not as happy as I ought to be, since the one thing I had been yearning for all my married life [Bill's sobriety] had come to pass. Then one Sunday, Bill asked me if I was ready to go to the meeting with him. To my own astonishment as well as his, I burst forth with "Damn your old meetings!" and threw a shoe as hard as I could.

This surprising display of temper over nothing pulled me up short and made me start to analyze my own attitudes. ... My life's purpose of sobering up Bill, which had made me feel desperately needed, had vanished. ... I decided to strive for my own spiritual growth. I used the same principles as he did to learn how to change my attitudes. ... We began to learn that ... the partner of the alcoholic also needed to live by a spiritual program. | Lois Wilson | Lois's Story in "How Al-Anon Works..."."cite book | last = Wilson | first = Lois | authorlink = Lois Wilson (activist) | chapter = Lois's Story | title = "How Al-Anon Works for Families and Friends of Alcoholics" | year = 1995 | publisher = Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. | location = Virginia Beach, Virginia | isbn = 0910034265 | oclc = 32951492 | pages = 136-137]

Processes and benefits

Research suggests that as family members of alcoholics learn to recognize the pathologies in their families, assign the responsibility of those pathologies to a disease, forgive themselves, accept that they were adversely affected by the pathologies, and ultimately learn to accept their parent's shortcomings, they begin to improve.cite journal |last=Humphreys | first=K |title=World view change in adult children of Alcoholics/Al-Anon self-help groups: reconstructing the alcoholic family |journal=International journal of group psychotherapy | year=1996 |month=April |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=255–63 |issn=0020-7284 |pmid=8935765]

When an alcoholic's spouse is active in Al-Anon and the alcoholic is active in AA, not only is the alcoholic more likely to be abstinent but marital happiness improves and both the alcoholic and their spouse become better parents.cite journal |last=Wright |first=KD |coauthors=Scott, TB |title=The relationship of wives' treatment to the drinking status of alcoholics |journal=Journal of studies on alcohol |year=1978 |month=September |volume=39 |issue=9 |pages=1577–1581 |issn=0096-882X |pmid=215841] cite journal |last=Corenblum |first=B |coauthors=Fischer, DG |title=Some correlates of Al-Anon group membership |journal=Journal of studies on alcohol |year=1975 |month=May |volume=36 |issue=5 |pages=675–677 |issn=0096-882X |pmid=239290] Participation in Al-anon has also been associated with less personal blame among females, though not among males.cite journal |last=Kingree |first=J. B. |coauthors=Thompson, Martie |year=2000 |title=Twelve-Step Groups, Attributions of Blame for Personal Sadness, Psychological Well-Being, and the Moderating Role of Gender |journal = Journal of Applied Social Psychology |volume=30 |issue=3 |pages = 499–517 |doi=10.1111/j.1559-1816.2000.tb02493.x | issn=1559-1816]

Encouraging alcoholics to participate in treatment

Al-Anon itself emphasises that - as a disease - alcoholism cannot be arrested by its members' intervention: "Our experience shows that we cannot force someone to stop drinking.This is an individual choice of the alcoholic." [cite book|last=Al-Anon Family Groups|title=Paths to Recovery:Al-Anon's , Steps, Traditions and Concepts|publisher=Al-Anon Family Groups|date=1997|chapter=Step One|isbn=0-9190034-31-I] However research on methods used by Concerned Significant Others (CSOs) to encourage alcoholics to seek treatment has shown participation in Al-Anon to be effective towards such goals. The Community Reinforcement and Family Training approach (CRAFT), however, has been shown to be significantly more effective than Al-Anon participation for this purpose.cite journal |last=Miller |first=WR |coauthors=Meyers, RJ; Tonigan, JS |title=Engaging the unmotivated in treatment for alcohol problems: a comparison of three strategies for intervention through family members |journal=Journal of consulting and clinical psychology |month=October |year=1999 |volume=67 |issue=5 |pages=688–697 |issn=0022-006X |pmid=10535235 |doi=10.1037/0022-006X.67.5.688] cite journal |last=Meyers |first=RJ |coauthors=Miller, WR; Smith, JE, Tonigan, JS |title=A randomised trail of two methods for engaging treatment-refusing drug users through concerned significant others (CSOs) |journal=Journal of consulting and clinical psychology |month=October |year=2002 |volume=70 |issue=5 |pages=1182–1185 |issn=0022-006X |doi=10.1037/0022-006X.70.5.1182] Spouses of alcoholics wait, on average, seven years before making an intervention.cite journal |last = Gorman |first=JM | coauthors=Rooney, JF |title=Delay in seeking help and onset of crisis among Al-Anon wives |journal = The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse |volume=6 |issue=2 |pages=223–233 |issn=0095-2990 |pmid=517494 |doi=10.3109/00952997909007047 |year=1979]

See also

*Adult Children of Alcoholics
*Co-Dependents Anonymous
*Alcoholism in family systems
*List of twelve-step groups
*Nar-Anon
*National Association for Children of Alcoholics

References

External links

* [http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/ Al-Anon/Alateen official website]
* [http://www.alanon-alateenservicesnc.org/ Al-Anon/Alateen Literature Distribution Center]