To the Prospective Member
Your inquiry is confidential and anonymous! If you are concerned about someone else’s drinking, we encourage you to browse our website for information about our program.
How Al-Anon/Alateen Works for Me
Click to learn more on How Al-Anon Works
Many who come to Al-Anon/Alateen are in despair, feeling hopeless, unable to believe that things can ever change. We want our lives to be different, but nothing we have done has brought about change. We all come to Al-Anon because we want and need help.
In Al-Anon and Alateen, members share their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. You will meet others who share your feelings and frustrations, if not your exact situation. We come together to learn a better way of life, to find happiness whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.
In Al-Anon/Alateen, members do not give direction or advice to other members. Instead, they share their personal experiences and stories, and invite other members to “take what they like and leave the rest”—that is, to determine for themselves what lesson they could apply to their own lives.
About Group Meetings
- We suggest you attend at least 6 different meetings as each meeting has a slightly different format and then decide if Al-Anon is right for you.
- The Meetings menu on this website will help you find a meeting near you.
- To best serve our members, there are two different types of Al-Anon group meetings:
Click to learn more about Al-Anon meetings
Closed: Meetings limited to Al-Anon and Alateen members and prospective members. These are persons who feel their lives have been, or are being affected by the drinking of a family member or friend. This offers the participants greater freedom to discuss their own ideas and feelings. Unless specifically designated as Open, meetings listed under Find a Meeting are Closed. All Alateen meetings are closed to ensure the safety of our younger members.
Open: Meetings that are open to anyone. This includes prospective members, members of other Twelve-Step programs, the general public, students, and professionals who want to learn more about Al-Anon. Members tell their stories about how they have been affected by the disease of alcoholism, and how they have gained a personal serenity. Attending an Open meeting is a good way to learn how Al-Anon can help. Open meetings are listed as such on the Events page.