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One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:

Someone persuaded Mr. J. to attend an Al-Anon meeting. His wife had finally joined AA and was devoting herself to sobriety — and to developing herself as a person through the spiritual elements in the AA program.

Mr. J. frankly didn’t like it. He and his wife had entertained a great deal, at cocktail parties and such, and her sobriety interfered with these activities. To him it was perfectly ridiculous that anyone of their social standing should admit to being enslaved by alcohol. Even after four or five Al-Anon meetings, he still couldn’t understand why his wife found it necessary to continue with AA now that she was sober, or that Al-Anon had anything for him.

Today’s Reminder:

When I consider how people limit themselves by keeping closed minds, I learn that pride often makes recovery difficult both from alcoholism and from the emotional sickness of living with an alcoholic. I see how necessary it is to accept changes in my patterns of living — if I really hope for a serene and orderly existence.

“Some people don’t know how badly they need a new way of life until disaster overtakes them.”

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