Different Lives, Same Family Disease
By Anonymous (image from the Colorado Sun)
I came to Al-Anon in 2020 during COVID by way of phone meetings. During these meetings, it was not easy to know who was present and how many were attending. Nevertheless, I found the help I needed and eventually got a Sponsor. My Sponsor encouraged me to attend an in-person meeting a few years later. I took his suggestion and noted I was the only man present. It was only then that I realized there are some Al-Anon groups in which women outnumber men by as much as ten to one.
This might seem uncomfortable for some men, especially when sharing, but I found the opposite to be true. I found we are all in the same situation. The details may differ, but we have the same plight: living with the family disease of alcoholism. Race, gender, nationality, creed, and sexual orientation make no difference in how the family disease of alcoholism affects us. I found the group was happy to have me there, and nobody was uncomfortable with a man joining the group. Our group has found having a male perspective enlightening just as I have found having the female perspective enlightening.
If you are male, I would encourage you to attend at least six meetings before deciding if Al‑Anon is right for you. Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. If you “Keep an Open Mind”, you will find help, Al-Anon has room for all of us.
Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.