Al-Anon’s very existence is dependent on the third guiding principle, SERVICE. It is how the rooms of Al-Anon remain open and ready to help others who suffer from the effects of someone else’s drinking. But service is so much more than that. It is an important tool that, when used, builds self-confidence and self-esteem, brings […]
service
The Gift of Service
I have been in Al-Anon for over twelve years. I came in like most, pretty darn broken. I had attended a few meetings a few years earlier but didn’t stay. This time I came to support, or at least not be an obstacle, to my now ex-husband’s recovery.
Learning to Live
After years of isolation and three in-patient and out-patient recovery attempts failed my alcoholic, I desperately crawled into my first Al-Anon meeting. With my luck (or Higher Power), it turned out to be the District 17 Step Study meeting and that first meeting was on Step One.
Deciding to Serve
We often say yes to everything and everyone but yet we often say no to service and our recovery. This is what I heard from a dear recovery sister of mine as I discussed accepting the nomination as the alternate district rep. The effects of alcoholism and other isms cause me to fear new opportunities for fear of failure.
Grateful my Husband is an Alcoholic
I am grateful my husband is an alcoholic. Well, as I have learned it is not in my time but in God’s time! It took me a while to get that. I was miserable, life was so chaotic and unmanageable, and our kids were caught in the middle of the crossfire.