Skip to main content

Courage to Change:

When I reflect on Tradition Eleven, in which Al-Anon’s public relations policy is described as being based on attraction rather than promotion, I take a fairly personal approach. What this Tradition says to me is that my first responsibility in Al-Anon is to learn to keep the focus on myself and to do my level best to live this program one day at a time.

If I am not walking the walk, there is little point in talking the talk — that is, if I am not demonstrating recovery in my life to the best of my ability, then talking about the program may be nothing more than a substitute for living it.

In this regard, I find that I am very likely to feel most compelled to urge others to attend Al-Anon when I am most in need of a meeting myself.

Today’s Reminder:

Before I start telling people about Al-Anon, I might consider posing this question to myself: “Did they ask?”

“Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
– Albert Schweitzer

From the book “Courage to Change”. Copyright Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. 1992