When I walked into my first Al-Anon adult children meeting, I had 13 years of recovery in Alcoholics Anonymous. I wondered, "What am I getting myself into?" Al-Anon friends suggested I might want to look at the issues I had surrounding my father's alcoholism. That was ridiculous! My father had been dead for 12 years and I had very little contact with him as an adult. However, I was at a point in my recovery where I was willing to listen to other people's suggestions, even when I thought they were wrong. I decided to try one meeting.

Walking into my first Al-Anon meeting, I felt uncomfortable and ill at ease until I saw the Chairperson. I relaxed immediately because the Chairperson was a member of my AA home group. My friend and I talked after the meeting and I decided to return the following week.

Seventeen years later, I'm still attending that Al-Anon meeting. Alcoholism is still my primary disease. I work my program in order to have a chance at staying sober, but for the past ten years, most of my healing and growth has been the result of working the Al-Anon program. Still today, I thank my Higher Power for the willingness to attend my first Al-Anon meeting. I'm grateful for the Chairperson's familiar face—someone else like me—which helped me stay through the meeting and feel comfortable enough to return. I'm also grateful my Higher Power chose me to receive the gift of Al-Anon recovery. All I had to do was show up.

By Dave G., Missouri
The Forum, January 2006

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