About Al-Anon
Al-Anon is a mutual support group of peers who share their experience in applying the Al-Anon principles to problems related to the effects of a problem drinker in their lives. It is not group therapy and is not led by a counsellor or therapist; this support network complements and supports professional treatment. We believe that alcoholism is a family disease and that a change of attitude will alleviate recovery.
“In the group we meet people like us who are coping with many of the same problems and finding creative solutions we had not considered or attitudes that make the similar situations in their lives more tolerable.”
B-24 Paths to Recovery, page 19
“It is, in fact, in the sharing of our diversity and unique experience that we break down the walls of isolation, grow in understanding, realise we are not alone and learn we are entitled to full, happy and productive lives”.
B-24 Paths to Recovery, page 2
Alateen is a peer support group for teens who are struggling with the effects of someone else’s problem drinking. Many Alateen groups meet at the same time and location as an Al-Anon group. Alateen meetings are only open to teenagers.
No advance notification or written referral is necessary to attend an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting. Anyone affected by someone else’s drinking is welcome to attend.
There are no dues or fees. Groups are self-supporting, and usually pass a basket around for a voluntary contribution to pay for rent or Al-Anon literature.
Al-Anon is not a religious program. Even when the meeting is held in a religious centre, the local Al-Anon group pays rent to that centre and it is not affiliated in any way with any religious group. Your religious beliefs – or lack thereof – are not a subject for discussion at Al-Anon meetings, which focus solely on coping with the effects of someone’s drinking.
It will take some time to fully understand the significance of anonymity to the Al-Anon program. But at its simplest level, anonymity means that the people in the room will respect the confidentiality of what you say and won’t approach you outside the room in a way that compromises your privacy or the privacy of anyone who attended an Al‑Anon meeting.
The meeting will likely begin with a reading of the Twelve Steps of Al-Anon. It may take some time to fully understand how the Twelve Steps can be a helpful tool in recovering from the effects of someone’s drinking. Al-Anon gives you the opportunity to grow at your own pace.
English-speaking Al-Anon groups in Sweden:
Wednesdays:
Wednesday Online in English Al-Anon Family Group at 7:00 pm. For more meeting details, head to page Möten.
Young People Al-Anon, open in-person meetings Wednesdays at 6:15 pm, Svartmangatan 6G, Gamla Stan in Stockholm. Note that this meeting reads all texts in English, but members are free to share in either English or Swedish. For more meeting details, head to page Möten.
Saturdays:
Al-Anon in English, open in-person meetings on Saturdays at 12:30 pm, Sankt Paulsgatan 39D (entrance from the yard), Stockholm. For more meeting details, head to page Möten.
Saturday Online Al-Anon Family Group in English at 10:00 am. For more meeting details, head to page Möten.
If an English speaking meeting is not available near your location, a meeting in Swedish could be a second option. Many Swedish Al-Anon members understand English and there are good opportunities to have contact between meetings with Al-Anon members using English.
For more information, contact afg@al-anon.se
More information about Al-Anon and Al-Anon literature in English can be found here:
www.al-anon.alateen.org
Free Al-Anon brochures to download
With permission from WSO, following PDF’s are available for free download:
S-17 Are You Troubled By Someone’s Drinking? Al-Anon Is For You!
Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions
and Twelve Concepts of Service
Al-Anon’s program of recovery is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Steps are the foundation for personal recovery in Al-Anon, and the Traditions help Al-Anon groups sustain their unity and fellowship. The Twelve Concepts of Service provide guidance for service in the Al-Anon fellowship.
Al-Anon Twelve Steps
About Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps
These Twelve Steps, adapted nearly word-for-word from the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous, have been a tool for spiritual growth for millions of Al‑Anon/Alateen members. At meetings, Al‑Anon/Alateen members share with each other the personal lessons they have learned from practicing from these Steps.
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
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.
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’s Twelve Steps, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Al-Anon's Twelve Traditions
About Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions
The Traditions summarize the Al-Anon principles that have proven to help Al-Anon groups function effectively.
Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
For our group purpose there is but one authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants—they do not govern.
The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.
Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.
Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics.
Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities
© Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Al-Anon's Twelve Traditions
About Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions
The Traditions summarize the Al-Anon principles that have proven to help Al-Anon groups function effectively.
Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
For our group purpose there is but one authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants—they do not govern.
The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.
Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole.
Each Al-Anon Family Group has but one purpose: to help families of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics.
Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always co-operate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
Al-Anon Twelfth Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members.
Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities
© Al-Anon’s Twelve Traditions, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
Al-Anon's Twelve Concepts of Service
About Al-Anon’s Twelve Concepts of Service
The Twelve Concepts of Service summarize the Al-Anon principles that have proven to help Al-Anon’s service organizations function effectively together.
The ultimate responsibility and authority for Al-Anon world services belongs to the Al-Anon groups.
The Al-Anon Family Groups have delegated complete administrative and operational authority to their Conference and its service arms.
The right of decision makes effective leadership possible.
Participation is the key to harmony.
The rights of appeal and petition protect minorities and insure that they be heard.
The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility of the Trustees.
The Trustees have legal rights while the rights of the Conference are traditional.
The Board of Trustees delegates full authority for routine management of Al-Anon Headquarters to its executive committees.
Good personal leadership at all service levels is a necessity. In the field of world service the Board of Trustees assumes the primary leadership.
Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority and double-headed management is avoided.
The World Service Office is composed of selected committees, executives and staff members.
The spiritual foundation for Al-Anon’s world services is contained in the General Warranties of the Conference, Article 12 of the Charter.
© Al-Anon’s Twelve Concepts of Service, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
General Warranties of the Conference
General Warranties of the Conference
In all proceedings the World Service Conference of Al-Anon shall observe the spirit of the Traditions:
that only sufficient operating funds, including an ample reserve, be its prudent financial principle;
that no Conference member shall be placed in unqualified authority over other members;
that all decisions be reached by discussion, vote and whenever possible by unanimity;
that no Conference action ever be personally punitive or an incitement to public controversy;
that though the Conference serves Al-Anon it shall never perform any act of government; and that like the fellowship of Al-Anon Family Groups which it serves, it shall always remain democratic in thought and action.
© Al-Anon’s General Warranties of the Conference, copyright 1996 by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.