Courage to Change:
I went to my first Al-Anon meeting because I wanted to show my support for a close friend who was a member. To my surprise, I found myself identifying with almost everyone who shared. I couldn’t understand it — I was positive that I didn’t even know any alcoholics! For weeks I kept remembering what I had heard in that meeting, and finally, timidly, I returned, and I stayed.
But I felt like an impostor every time I heard the Third Tradition, which states, “The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.” This guilt made it almost impossible for me to share in meetings. But I kept coming back, and slowly I began to feel better.
It took me over a year to realize that I was an adult child of alcoholic parents. I am so grateful that I was given the time and the support to come to this awareness when I was ready.
Today’s Reminder:
One of the signs that I have been affected by alcoholism is that I think I know what everyone else should do. As Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions explains, Tradition Three speaks directly to those of us “who mistakenly feel a newcomer should be rejected when, actually, he or she does meet the condition for membership.” I must decide for myself whether I fit the requirement for Al-Anon membership. I will extend the same courtesy to others.