Al-Anon Family Groups Experience Gratitude During the Holidays
Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) December 23, 2013 -- The holidays are full of hope at Al-Anon Family Groups.
Many families and friends of problem drinkers hope the holiday season will be different this year. For anyone who has been affected by a loved one’s alcoholism, the holidays often combine excitement with chaos and disappointment.
“At this time of year, relatives and friends of problem drinkers know what it’s like for embarrassment and disappointment to overcome joy," said Pamela Walters, Information Analyst for Al-Anon’s World Service Office. “As they make progress in their recovery from the impacts of a loved one’s drinking, many Al-Anon members learn how to find peace,” Walters said. “Before long, they may even express gratitude for the family problems that brought them to their first local Al-Anon meeting.”
Carol J. is an anonymous member who remembers what it was like before she found serenity in Al-Anon. “When I came to Al-Anon, I was at a point in my life where everything was just dismal. I had no friends. I had cut myself off from family, and I really didn’t know where to turn. I was desperate,” she said.
Carol said, “I remember when I walked into that first Al-Anon meeting. I felt more love, understanding, and compassion than I had felt in my entire life. I had found a place where I could relate to people who understood me and what I was dealing with. Al-Anon has given me a new way of life. It has given me the ability to get back into society and participate. It has given me a new level of confidence.”
Al-Anon Family Groups are for families and friends who have been affected by the problem drinking of someone close to them. Nearly 16,000 local groups meet every week throughout the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Al-Anon Family Groups meet in more than 130 countries, and Al-Anon literature is available in more than 40 languages. Al-Anon Family Groups have been offering strength and support to families and friends of alcoholics since 1951. Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. acts as the clearinghouse worldwide for inquiries from those who need help or want information about Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen, its program for teenage members.
For more information about Al-Anon Family Groups, go to http://www.al-anon.alateen.org, or read a copy of "Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2014." Find a local meeting by calling toll-free: 1-888-4AL-ANON.
Pamela Walters, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/, +1 (757) 563-1600 Ext: 1672, [email protected]
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