Al-Anon Preamble to the 12 Traditions

Q: What are Al

Al‑Anons Twelve Suggested Steps.

Al-Anon Twelve Steps

These Twelve Steps, adapted nearly word-for-word from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, have been a tool for spiritual growth for millions of Al‑Anon/Alateen members. At meetings, Al‑Anon/Alateen members share with each other the personal lessons they have learned from practicing from these Steps.The Twelve Steps is one of Al‑Anon’s three Legacies, along with Al‑Anon’s

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Al-Anon Twelve Steps
Twelve Steps
At many Al-Anon meetings, the Twelve Steps are introduced with the Suggested Al-Anon Preamble to the Twelve Steps:
The Al-Anon Welcome
Preamble to the Twelve Steps
What are Al
How do you introduce yourself at an Al
What are the three obstacles to success in Al

Twelve Traditions

and

Twelve Concepts of Service

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Al-Anon’s books and pamphlets have a great deal to say about how Al-Anon members use the three Legacies as a tool for spiritual growth. But the best way to come to understand the Legacies is to listen to members share at

Al-Anon meetings

Twelve Steps

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

At many Al-Anon meetings, the Twelve Steps are introduced with the Suggested Al-Anon Preamble to the Twelve Steps:

Suggested Al-Anon Preamble to the Twelve StepsThe Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery.
Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution; does not engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions.
Al-Anon has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic.
Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.

Al-Anon, the friends and family mutual support group, is an offshoot of Alcoholics Anonymous, and similarly, is a 12-step program for those who experience alcoholism in their home or personal life. The opening or welcome statement is usually read at the start of every meeting as a way to welcome newcomers and remind other group participants why the group exists.

The newcomer is considered the most important person at the meeting. At most Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon meetings, members read from Chapter 5 of the seminal text, Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the Big Book. The chapter is entitled "How it Works" and includes the 12 steps of the program.

The initial welcome to Al-Anon stresses fellowship, support, understanding, and the importance of confidentiality.

The Al-Anon Welcome

Below is the opening or welcome statement usually read by the chairperson at most Al-Anon Family Group meetings. It describes to newcomers what they can expect to achieve from the program and from attending meetings.

"We welcome you to the Al‑Anon Family Group and hope you will find in this fellowship the help and friendship we have been privileged to enjoy.

"We who live, or have lived, with the problem of alcoholism understand as perhaps few others can. We, too, were lonely and frustrated but in Al-Anon we discover that no situation is really hopeless and that it is possible for us to find contentment and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.

"We urge you to try our program. It has helped many of us find solutions that lead to serenity. So much depends on our own attitudes, and as we learn to place our problem in its true perspective, we find it loses its power to dominate our thoughts and our lives.

"The family situation is bound to improve as we apply the Al-Anon ideas. Without such spiritual help, living with an alcoholic is too much for most of us. Our thinking becomes distorted by trying to force solutions, and we become irritable and unreasonable without knowing it.

"The Al-Anon program is based on the suggested Twelve Steps (adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous), which we try, little by little, one day at a time, to apply to our lives along, along with our slogans and the Serenity Prayer. The loving interchange of help among members and daily reading of Al-Anon literature thus make us ready to receive the priceless gift of serenity.

"Anonymity is an important principle of the Al-Anon program. Everything that is said here, in the group meeting and member-to-member, must be held in confidence. Only in this way can we feel free to say what is in our minds and hearts, for this is how we help one another in Al-Anon."

Preamble to the Twelve Steps

Al-Anon defines itself as an independent fellowship with the purpose of helping relatives and friends of people who have alcohol problems. The following preamble to the Twelve Steps provides a general description:

"The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share their experience, strength, and hope in order to solve their common problems. We believe alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid in recovery.

"Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization or institution; does not engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions.

"Al-Anon has but one purpose to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps, by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics, and by giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic."

Al-Anon meetings can help family members feel less alone, find a supportive community of people who have similar experiences, and gain new skills for coping with a family member's alcoholism.

By Buddy T
Buddy T is an anonymous writer and founding member of the Online Al-Anon Outreach Committee with decades of experience writing about alcoholism.

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What are Al

Al‑Anon's Twelve Suggested Steps.

How do you introduce yourself at an Al

In meetings most members introduce themselves by first name only. We gather as equals, from unknown or unnamed origins until we get to know each other in Al-Anon. But we all know that the third definition doesn't apply—because Al-Anon members have plenty of indi- viduality and personality!

What are the three obstacles to success in Al

Three Obstacles to Success in Al‑Anon.

Discussions of religion: Al‑Anon is not allied with any sect or denomination. ... .

Gossip: We meet to help ourselves and others learn and use the Al‑Anon philosophy. ... .

Dominance: Our leaders are trusted servants; they do not govern..

Does Al

At most Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon meetings, members read from Chapter 5 of the seminal text, Alcoholics Anonymous, also known as the Big Book. The chapter is entitled "How it Works" and includes the 12 steps of the program.