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One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:

It is an interesting experiment, and an enlightening one, to listen to the voices at an Al-Anon meeting — not so much what they’re saying, but how. The very sound and inflection can reveal the speakers’ hidden attitudes.

What does the discerning listener hear in such an experiment?

In those who are studying the program and enjoying the fruits of living it, the tone and manner of speaking show confidence, humility, compassion for those in trouble, and an honest acknowledgment that they are not master-minds to solve all problems.

In those who are still bound to their unhappiness, we hear, beyond their words, angry judgments of the alcoholic, self-pity, and a grim determination to “win the battle,” no matter what.

Today’s Reminder:

The way I speak often reveals more than what I say. To make the program work for me, it is important to be living it. This will reveal itself in everything I do and say.

“By listening to more than mere words I can learn much more than mere words can teach.”

From the book “One Day at a Time in Al-Anon”. © Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. 1973