Members Sharing Area
Please Share Your Experience, Strength and Hope with Us!
Please Share Your Experience, Strength and Hope with Us!
Just as Sick as the Alcoholic
I heard about Al‑Anon many years ago when my therapist suggested I attend to help with my alcoholic husband. I had lived with the disease with my father, and now I found myself in its clutches again. I did attend a meeting, but did not feel that Al‑Anon was for me. I stiffened up and thought if he does not stop drinking, this marriage is over. Since the program is not a blueprint for getting him sober, I did not return.
I now have a child who is an alcoholic, but I cannot divorce her. I came to Al‑Anon to cure the alcoholic, but I have stayed because I am the one getting cured. My daughter was the one who encouraged me to attend Al‑Anon. I did not see what the disease was doing to me; I only saw what it was doing to her. Finding a group for parents of alcoholics was a blessing. I was willing to admit I needed help and my life had become unmanageable. Her drinking was causing me time in the hospital, time away from friends and family, and time away from any joy. I needed help realizing I was as sick as my daughter.
Al‑Anon has provided the only hope for the possibility of change and a healthier, happier life, “whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.” I found a way to overcome the devastating effects of this terrible disease. I keep coming back because my meetings are my spiritual home.
By Suzanne F., Colorado
The Forum, December 2019
Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters., Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.
Click here to share your experience, strength and hope with others via the Forum or you can send your sharing to the District 5 Web Coordinator for posting here!
Remember, "... it is possible for us to find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not"
I now have a child who is an alcoholic, but I cannot divorce her. I came to Al‑Anon to cure the alcoholic, but I have stayed because I am the one getting cured. My daughter was the one who encouraged me to attend Al‑Anon. I did not see what the disease was doing to me; I only saw what it was doing to her. Finding a group for parents of alcoholics was a blessing. I was willing to admit I needed help and my life had become unmanageable. Her drinking was causing me time in the hospital, time away from friends and family, and time away from any joy. I needed help realizing I was as sick as my daughter.
Al‑Anon has provided the only hope for the possibility of change and a healthier, happier life, “whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.” I found a way to overcome the devastating effects of this terrible disease. I keep coming back because my meetings are my spiritual home.
By Suzanne F., Colorado
The Forum, December 2019
Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters., Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.
Click here to share your experience, strength and hope with others via the Forum or you can send your sharing to the District 5 Web Coordinator for posting here!
Remember, "... it is possible for us to find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not"
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