MANITOBA & NW ONTARIO AL ANON WELCOMES FRIENDS & FAMILIES AFFECTED BY ADDICTION
Al-Anon is a fellowship of people whose lives have been affected by addiction. If you feel your life has been affected by addiction, a relative or friend, now or in your past, you may find help in the fellowship of Al Anon. In this fellowship we share our stories in order to help and support one another. We do not give advice or solutions but we encourage others to find a better way to live and perhaps, enjoy life, when things may seem insurmountable.  Even if you are unsure if you qualify for this program, we will invite you to join, try at least six meetings, and keep coming back. 

IN AL-ANON WE LEARN:
• Not to suffer because of the actions or reactions of other people
• Not to allow ourselves to be used or abused by others in the interest of another’s recovery
• Not to do for others what they can do for themselves
• Not to manipulate situations so others will eat, go to bed, get up, pay bills, not drink, or behave as we see fit
• Not to cover up for another’s mistakes or misdeeds
• Not to create a crisis
• Not to prevent a crisis if it is in the natural course of events

Millions of people are affected by the excessive drinking of someone close. The following questions are designed to help you decide whether or not you need Al-Anon:

  1. Do you worry about how much someone else drinks?
  2. Do you have money problems because of someone else’s drinking?
  3. Do you tell lies to cover up for someone else’s drinking?
  4. Do you feel that if the drinker cared about you, he or she would stop drinking to please you?
  5. Do you blame the drinker’s behavior on his or her companions?
  6. Are plans frequently upset or canceled or meals delayed because of the drinker?
  7. Do you make threats, such as, “If you don’t stop drinking, I’ll leave you”?
  8. Do you secretly try to smell the drinker’s breath?
  9. Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set off a drinking bout?
  10. Have you been hurt or embarrassed by a drinker’s behavior?
  11. Are holidays and gatherings spoiled because of drinking?
  12. Have you considered calling the police for help in fear of abuse?
  13. Do you search for hidden alcohol?
  14. Do you ever ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking?
  15. Have you refused social invitations out of fear or anxiety?
  16. Do you feel like a failure because you can’t control the drinking?
  17. Do you think that if the drinker stopped drinking, your other problems would be solved?
  18. Do you ever threaten to hurt yourself to scare the drinker?
  19. Do you feel angry, confused, or depressed most of the time?
  20. Do you feel there is no one who understands your problems?

Detachment is neither kind nor unkind.
It does not imply judgement or condemnation of the person or situation from which we are detaching. Separating ourselves from the adverse effects of another person’s alcoholism can be a means of detaching: this does not necessarily require physical separation.
Detachment can help us look at our situations realistically and objectively.
Alcoholism is a family disease. Living with the effects of someone else’s drinking is too devastating for most people to bear without help. In Al-Anon we learn nothing we say or do can cause or stop someone else’s drinking.
We are not responsible for another person’s disease or recovery from it.
Detachment allows us to let go of our obsession with another’s behavior and begin to lead happier and more manageable lives, lives with dignity and rights, lives guided by a Power greater than ourselves. We can still
love the person without liking the behavior.

IN AL-ANON WE LEARN:
• Not to suffer because of the actions or reactions of other people
• Not to allow ourselves to be used or abused by others in the interest of
another’s recovery
• Not to do for others what they can do for themselves
• Not to manipulate situations so others will eat, go to bed, get up, pay bills, not drink, or behave as we see fit
• Not to cover up for another’s mistakes or misdeeds
• Not to create a crisis
• Not to prevent a crisis if it is in the natural course of events

DETACHMENT
By learning to focus on ourselves, our attitudes and well-being improve. We allow the alcoholics in our lives to experience the consequences of their own actions.

AL-ANON CAN HELP
Al-Anon is a worldwide fellowship that offers a program of recovery for the families and friends of alcoholics, whether or not the alcoholic recognizes the existence of a drinking problem or seeks help. Members give and receive comfort and understanding through a mutual exchange of experience, strength, and hope. Sharing of similar problems binds individuals and groups together in a bond that is protected by a tradition of
anonymity.

Al-Anon is not a religious organization or a counseling agency. It is not a treatment center nor is it allied with any other organization offering such services. Al-Anon Family Groups, which includes Alateen for young members, usually teenagers, neither expresses opinions on outside issues nor endorses outside enterprises. No dues or fees are required. Membership is voluntary, requiring only that one’s own life has been adversely affected by someone else’s drinking problem.
Al-Anon Family Group