Al-Anonmeeting topicsare topics chosen by a meeting leaderthe chairpersonfor discussion at an Al-Anon Family Groups meeting.
Sometimes the chairperson will ask the group if anyone has a topic they would like the group to discuss.
Meeting attendees discuss the topic and share their related experiences, strengths, and hope.
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Learn more about Al-Anon Family Groups and Al-Anon meeting topics.
For more mental health resources, see ourNational Helpline Database.
What Is Al-Anon?
Al-Anon is a support group for the family and friends of someone who has a drinking problem.
Al-Anon serves as an outlet and support system for its members.
Attendees are encouraged to share experiences, ideas, and hope.
Discuss whataccepting that you are powerless over alcoholmeans to you.
Dealing With Anger
You may get mixed messages about anger in your household.
Are you told to control your anger but others in the family are allowed to explode violently?
At Al-Anon, you learn that anger is a natural and normal emotion.
Being angry is okay, it’s what you do with the anger that makes a difference.
What attitude is dominating your life?
Choices
You have choices.
You have to accept the things you cannot change.
You do not have to accept unacceptable behavior.
And to decide to no longer participate in the insanity of others.
Have you found the courage to make those kinds of decisions?
Control Issues
Do you have control issues?
Are you learning to “let go and let God?”
You may have found yourself being comfortable in relationships that were not only not healthy but downright sick.
In order for all that to change, you have to seek courage from an outside source.
Detachment
Learninghow to detachcan be difficult.
Someone who doesn’t care about anything else but alcohol.
Have you tried to fill that void with less than healthy things?
That’swhy they call alcoholism a family disease.
Fear of Abandonment
Are you afraid or even terrified of being alone or abandoned?
Focus on Ourselves
One of the12 Traditions of Al-Anonstates that we have no opinion on outside issues.
Someone else’s drinking or behavior is an outside issue.
How do you keep the focus on your spiritual journey of recovery and not on anyone else’s behavior?
God does not require you to “feel” like forgiving, only that you forgive.
Gratitude
Do you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself?
A suggestion is to sit down andwriteout a gratitude list.
It is amazing how that really works to chase away the gloom.
Growing One Day at a Time
Do you work on your Al-Anon program every day?
Do you see how that keeps you making progress, or at least prevents the worst backward slides?
Honesty
Do you have difficulty with the honesty part of the program?
After years of covering up and keeping secrets, it can be hard to be open and honest.
How can you learn to live and let live?
The person with an alcohol use disorder can stop reacting to your efforts to control them.
You won’t be stopping them from drinking, but your situation and attitude will be changed.
They have the right to make their own mistakes and, hopefully, learn from them.
Dealing With Rejection
Do you have difficulty handling rejection in any form?
Do you have to find a way to fix any disagreement?
Have you accepted that you are insane and need that help?
Or do you still maintain that only the alcoholic is the crazy one?
Self Esteem
Do you have problems with self-confidence or feeling that you really belong?
Crises, problems, grief, abuse, chaos, anything but boredom.
How can you accept the gift ofserenity?
Trust
Trust is a problem when you first come into Al-Anon.
All the lies, the betrayals, and the secrets can leave your heart broken and hardened.
Have you begun to learn to trust yourself and others?
Can you really become unreasonable and not even know it?
How have you learned to detach during these episodes?
2022;117(3):590-599. doi:10.1111/add.15670
