This is an open meeting; we welcome visitors seeking information about Al-Anon as well as newcomers and members of Al-Anon. We ask members of other anonymous fellowships to remain anonymous and focus on the Al-Anon Program during this meeting.
To be recognized by the chair, please type an exclamation point (!). It's like raising your hand. Type your share in short lines, hitting the Enter key frequently, which allows the group to read along with your share instead of a large paragraph of text. When you are finished sharing, please type "DONE."
In the spirit of unity and to allow time for all members to share, please keep your shares limited in length (maximum 10 minutes). Generally, only one share per member is permitted during a meeting. If time allows, however, members may be permitted to share again at the end of the meeting if they wish to do so.
In the spirit of unity and to allow time for all members to share, please keep your shares limited in length (maximum 10 minutes). Generally, only one share per member is permitted during a meeting. If time allows, however, members may be permitted to share again at the end of the meeting if they wish to do so.
If you need to talk to someone during the meeting, please use Private Chat. To speak to a member privately, double click the person's name in the member's frame to the right and a new, private chat window will open in another tab. Using Private Chat allows you to talk with one member without disrupting the meeting. To switch between the main chat window and the private chat windows, simply click on the appropriate tab at the top of the chat program screen.
As in face to face meetings, please refrain from cross-talk. Cross-talk consists of interrupting a share in progress, giving advice or judging the quality of someone else's sharing.
Reviewing our therapy sessions, prayer or meditation groups, or discussing our religious beliefs during meetings dilutes the Al-Anon message and can deprive others of the unique help Al-Anon has to offer. We also avoid the use of professional jargon. Terms used in particular therapies or other programs do not belong in Al-Anon meetings.
In Al-Anon, we focus on our common experience - having been affected by someone else's alcoholism - and our recovery by giving and receiving mutual aid based only on that common experience. Those of us who are members of other anonymous programs avoid openly revealing this at meetings, concentrating instead on the Al-Anon approach to the family illness of alcoholism.
Individuals may read whatever they choose as part of their personal recovery outside of meetings. However, meeting time is too valuable to spend on discussion of non-Al-Anon books, tapes, films, pamphlets, or recovery strategies, no matter how useful they have been to one or many of us. All AA literature is written for and from the viewpoint of alcoholics and is not Al‑Anon Conference Approved Literature. Reliance on opinions expressed in AA and other publications can distort the Al‑Anon approach.
