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There’s Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for alcoholics, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) for narcotic addicts, and even Marijuana Anonymous (MA) for those addicted to cannabis. But what about people who’ve been affected by alcohol and alcoholism, but don’t have a problem drinking? Do they have a support group?
They do, and it’s called Al-Anon. Designed for family and friends of alcoholics and anyone who’s been impacted by someone else’s drinking, these 12-step meetings offer self-help through mutual understanding and experience. With more than 26,000 groups throughout 115 countries, Al-Anon has a history of helping families heal from alcoholism and addiction.
Here are four different ways Al-Anon helps families deal with addiction and alcoholism.
How Al-Anon Helps Families
Much of the literature on addiction and alcoholism focuses on the individual abusing the substance. It’s the individual who must go to detox, to treatment, to counseling, to meetings. It’s the individual who must change and get better.
Yet in reality, that’s not the whole circumstance. Alcoholism is a family disease, and it impacts each person differently. Al-Anon understands this and helps those who are affected by a loved one’s alcohol abuse get the support and help they need.
Learning Self-Care
When you live with and love someone with alcoholism, the world starts to revolve around that person and his or her drinking. This means that the family’s needs often go unmet.
Al-Anon teaches you how to recognize what’s within your control and what’s not. This allows you to change what you can, primarily what you do and how you react, and let go of the rest. By focusing on taking care of yourself and meeting your own needs, you no longer become a victim of the disease.
Ending Codependency
One of the most important things Al-Anon does for families is help them detach with love and bring an end to the cycle of addiction and codependency. When someone in your life has an alcohol use disorder, you may use self-destructive behaviors to make life easier.
You may cover for the drinker, call him or her off work, lie to family and friends, provide alcohol, or make excuses for behaviors. These learned coping mechanisms help you get through the immediate situation, but are detrimental in the long run.
Al-Anon helps you learn the subtle differences between support and enabling and teaches you that you can still love someone, even though you’ve detached from him or her and are letting your loved one face the consequences of alcoholism without you.
No More Blame, Guilt, and Shame
In Al-Anon, there is no judgment. Everyone in the room has loved someone with alcoholism and been impacted by the disease. Having a place to discuss the impacts of drugs and alcohol without shame, blame, or guilt lets you move beyond the negative emotions associated with alcoholism and addiction.
It also allows people to stop constantly reacting to the individual and instead focus on the disease of addiction. When these negative emotions are released, you learn you can only control yourself. Your happiness does not have to be based on whether he or she decides to drink.
Finding Help
Have you been impacted by alcoholism? Do you or someone you love need help to stop drinking? Call
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today to find the help you’re seeking and take the first step toward sobriety.