LOVE AND RECOVERY 

The Al-Anon Family Groups Story

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In 1935, Lois W., the wife of Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) founder Bill W., threw her shoe at him in frustration and yelled, “Damn your old meetings!” Little did she know then that she’d be starting a movement that would grow into an organization that spans the globe and represents thousands of people—Al-Anon Family Groups, a mutual support group for the families and friends of alcoholics.

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As early as 1939, families and friends attended A.A. meetings with the alcoholic. As families shared with each other, they discovered the benefits of living by A.A.’s Twelve Steps, and how this improved their relationships, which often remained difficult even after the alcoholic became sober. Eventually, the relatives and friends began meeting on their own.

At the close of the 1951 A.A. General Service Conference, Lois invited the A.A. Delegates’ wives to lunch at her home in New York, Stepping Stones, along with local family group members. She then decided to open an office there, with a close friend and neighbor, Anne B. They received a list from the A.A. Foundation of 87 nonalcoholic individuals or family groups from the U.S., Canada, Australia, South Africa, and Ireland, that had requested registration with A.A. Because these were not groups of alcoholics, A.A. could not register them. Therefore, Lois and Anne’s first service project was to write to these individuals and groups.

In May 1951, they sent a questionnaire with the intention of unifying the family groups. As a result of this questionnaire, the name Al-Anon Family Groups was chosen.

With A.A.’s permission, they adopted the Twelve Steps, and later the Twelve Traditions, as guiding principles. As the family group movement grew, A.A. offered Lois and Anne the use of a studio at the 24th Street A.A. Clubhouse in New York City. They called themselves the Clearing House Committee, and volunteers were recruited from local groups. Soon the movement came to public attention. In March 1952, the groups were asked to voluntarily support a world service office.

In January 1954, Henrietta S., one of the volunteers, became the first part-time, paid staff member. She subsequently became the first General Secretary/Executive Director. The Clearing House was incorporated in October of that year as a nonprofit organization under the name Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. (AFG Inc.)

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How Alateen Came to Be Part of Al-Anon Family Groups

Teenage children in the families of alcoholics soon realized that their problems differed from those of adult members. In 1957, Alateen grew out of this need. A 17-year-old boy, whose father was in A.A. and mother in Al-Anon, had been fairly successful in trying to solve his problems by applying the A.A. Steps and slogans. With his parents’ encouragement, he asked five other teenagers with alcoholic parents to join him in forming a group to help other teenagers. The idea caught on, and the number of groups began to grow.

By 1958, the Board of Directors announced 31 new Alateen groups, with 39 more proposed, and its decision to establish an Alateen Committee. Today, there are over 1,600 Alateen groups worldwide, including six Alateen Chat meetings and a presence on social media sites.

Al-Anon Family Groups Today

AFG Inc.’s World Service Office (WSO) is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA, and acts as the worldwide clearinghouse; registering new groups, planning and coordinating the World Service Conference, guiding Al-Anon’s public outreach efforts worldwide, and preparing and distributing Conference Approved Literature.

Today, nearly 14,000 local Al-Anon groups meet throughout the U.S. (including Puerto Rico), Bermuda and Canada every week. Al-Anon meetings are held in over 133 countries, and Al-Anon literature is available in more than 40 languages. There are 36 countries with a national service structure or a General Service Office (GSO) and 17 countries with evolving structures. Al-Anon GSOs and evolving structures are the WSO’s partners in the international community. Each operates as a distinct service entity within its respective country.

Important Facts about Al-Anon

Al-Anon is fully self-supported by voluntary contributions from members and the sale of literature. We do not accept any outside funding. There are no dues or fees to attend a meeting.

Al-Anon is non-professional.  We do not counsel or advise our members, nor do we endorse or affiliate with other agencies or organizations.

Al-Anon is a spiritual fellowship, not a religious one. We avoid discussion of specific religious doctrine, and members of all faiths (or of none) are welcome. Our Twelve Steps ask us to find a “Power greater than ourselves” who can help us solve our problems and find serenity. Each member is free to define that power in his or her own way.

Anonymity is an important principle of the Al-Anon program. Personal anonymity, as well as confidentiality of members sharing in our program, creates a safe place to get help. We often say, “Whom you see here, what you hear here, when you leave here, let it stay here.”

Membership in Al-Anon is neither assumed nor implied for any visitors to this Facebook page. The opinions expressed here were strictly those of the person who gave them. No one whose full-face image appears on this Facebook Page is a member of Al-Anon or Alateen.

In keeping with its singleness purpose, Al-Anon remains available as a mutual support group for the families and friends of alcoholics. It constantly seeks to welcome newcomers whose lives have been impacted by alcoholism. The legacy of Al-Anon’s early members and cofounders lives on.

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