Valentine’s Day Marked the Season for High Attendance at Local Al-Anon Family Groups
Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) February 24, 2015 -- Valentine’s Day qualified as a meaningful test of success for important personal resolutions this year. “If a New Year’s Resolution made it this far, there was reason for hope,” according to Al-Anon Information Analyst Pamela Walters. “It also marked the season when many Al-Anon Family Groups throughout the U.S. and Canada experienced their highest attendance.”
Walters said, “Experiences with a loved one’s alcoholism have led many people to try an Al-Anon meeting for the first time. High expectations for special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, followed by painful disappointments have prompted many people to resolve to take action. They made a decision to do what they can to stop the cycle, because it hurts too much to let it continue.”
Marie, an anonymous, new Al-Anon member, perceived her husband’s compulsive drinking as evidence that he no longer loved her. “I thought if he really loved me, he would stop drinking,” Marie said. “I didn’t realize alcoholism is a disease. I thought he could stop drinking any time he wanted to stop.”
Marie said, “Al-Anon introduced me to the disease concept of alcoholism. I heard I didn’t cause the drinking, I couldn’t cure it, and I can’t control it. I also found out I’m not alone. There are many people in Al-Anon who have gone through the same kind of thing that I’m going through with my husband right now. I finally feel there is real hope for me and my family.”
Al-Anon Family Groups are for families and friends who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking. Nearly 16,000 local groups meet throughout the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico every week. 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 problem drinkers 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 al-anon.org and read a copy of Al-Anon’s annual public outreach magazine “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2015.” 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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