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Al-Anon's Path to Recovery:
Al-Anon Is For Native Americans/ Aboriginals

Al-Anon Recovery
Al-Anon is for anyone who has been affected by someone else’s drinking. Regardless of native/aboriginal origin, if you are concerned with someone else’s drinking, the Al-Anon program can often help.

Al-Anon was founded by families of alcoholics who found sobriety in Alcoholics Anonymous. Today, Al-Anon/Alateen members, regardless of age, creed, color, or relationship to the alcoholic, are finding serenity even with a friend or family member with a drinking problem.

From the beginning, we learn we are powerless to control another person’s drinking. Until we stop trying to control, we will continue to live in frustration. Once we learn to let go of the problem, the loving concern and help of the other members will provide strong support to help us understand what the Al-Anon program can do for us.

There is a message of hope in Al-Anon meetings, that we can be happy whether the alcoholic is drinking or not. The foundation of Al-Anon is the Twelve Steps, adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous, which are the key to individual, family, and community healing.

Some of the increased values reported by Al-Anon members are:
• Integrity
• Building character
• Self-esteem
• Respect for culture
• Tolerance

Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps
The study of these Steps is essential to progress in the Al-Anon program. The principles they embody are universal, applicable to everyone, whatever his personal creed. In Al-Anon, we strive for an ever-deeper understanding of these Steps, and pray for the wisdom to apply them to our lives.

Individual
In Al-Anon meetings, members sit in a circle and share.
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Family
In Al-Anon, family healing begins by using Al-Anon principles.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Community
Start a meeting in your community—seek a commitment from elders.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Nation
Cooperation includes AA, professionals, tribal leadership, holding open meetings, reaching out to the public.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Al-Anon Is:
• A fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who believe their lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking.
• A mutual support recovery program based on the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
• A nonprofessional fellowship where members share their experience, strength, and hope to solve their common problems.
• A program with the anonymity of all Al-Anon and AA members protected.
• A spiritual program that is compatible with all religious beliefs or none.
• A program with the single purpose of helping families and friends of alcoholics, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.

Al-Anon Is Not:
• Allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution.
• Involved in any outside issues—neither endorses nor opposes any cause.
• Affiliated with AA, although both fellowships cooperate with one another.
• Considered a religious organization, treatment center, counseling agency, or teaching program.
• Intended for families of drug abusers or individuals with other difficulties unless there is a problem of alcoholism as well.
• Conducted by professionals.
• Intended as a replacement for professional treatment.

Al-Anon may be listed in your telephone directory.
For meeting information call:
1-888-4AL-ANON (1-888-425-2666)
(Canada and USA, Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. ET)

Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters (Canada) Inc.
www.al-anon.alateen.org
wso@al-anon.org
1600 Corporate Landing Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617
Telephone: 757-563-1600 Fax: 757-563-1655

Capital Corporate Centre, 9 Antares Drive, Suite 245
Ottawa, ON K2E 7V5
(613) 723-8484 fax (613) 723-0151

Al-Anon/Alateen is supported by members’ voluntary contributions and from the sale of our Conference Approved Literature.

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