Al-Anon Family Groups Invite Families and Friends of Problem Drinkers to Find Local Support During the Holidays
Virginia Beach, VA (PRWEB) December 23, 2014
The holiday season can be challenging for families when their loved one’s drinking problems take center stage. “It’s hard to deal with sadness and despair at home, while everyone else in the world is celebrating,” Al-Anon Information Analyst Pamela Walters said. “Al-Anon Family Groups invite families and friends of problem drinkers to find understanding and support at local Al-Anon meetings during this difficult time of the year,” Walters said.
Anthony, an anonymous Al-Anon member, said, “The holidays are a strange time for me. I grew up with an alcoholic mother who went all out for the holidays, spent money we didn’t have, cooked more food than we could eat, and played Christmas music all the time. She was usually pretty drunk all the time as well.”
Anthony said, “I always got suckered into her disease when she was in the holiday mood, and then out of nowhere her drunken rage would find its way to ruin everything. So most of the time the holidays were a time waiting for the other shoe to drop and finding ways to stay out of her way.”
Anthony said, “I am grateful to Al-Anon for showing me I can live with active drinkers and still be happy. I focus on my own sanity. I listen to Al-Anon podcasts and go to Al-Anon or open A.A. meetings nearby. I just live one day at a time.”
Al-Anon Family Groups are for families and friends who have been affected by a loved one’s drinking. Nearly 16,000 local groups meet throughout the U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico every week. Al-Anon Family Groups meet in more than 130 countries, and Al-Anon literature is available in more than 40 languages. Al-Anon Family Groups have been offering strength and support to families and friends of problem drinkers since 1951. Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. acts as the clearinghouse worldwide for inquiries from those who need help or want information about Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen, its program for teenage members.
For more information about Al-Anon Family Groups, go to al-anon.org and read a copy of Al-Anon’s annual public outreach magazine “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2015.” Find a local meeting by calling toll-free: 1-888-4AL-ANON.