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​What to Expect at Your First Alanon Meeting

You will find a compassionate and supportive group of people there.  The meeting may be in a church or office building with chairs at tables or maybe in a circle.  Some meetings are very small and some have quite a few people. You will see people bring in books known as daily readers or Al-anon Conference Approved Literature.  Some meetings the members will take turns reading out of one of readers on a selected topic. These books can be purchased at the meeting or on the WSO website. 
Al-Anon meetings follow a set format and structure to avoid surprises. That way if you go to another meeting, you can expect the same format, with little variations, most likely discussion topics, books, or chairperson. 
You will learn that in Al-Anon we like to Keep it Simple and Consistent. For example, if the meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., it will most likely start right at that time and last for one hour. The consistency and uniformity you experience at Al-Anon meetings make it easier to participate in meetings anywhere. It is good to go to different meetings in your area so you can find the one that you feel the most comfortable. We recommend that you attend at least six meetings before deciding if Al-Anon is right for you.  It can show you a better and healthier way to deal with the difficulties of life that we face when someone we love struggles with addiction.   This is why we say, "Keep Coming Back, It Works If You Work It!"  Going to a meeting doesn't mean you have to share the intimate details of your life.  You only need to walk in and sit down. Simply by listening, you will encounter individuals who are empathetic and nonjudgmental, ready to share their experiences, hopes, and strength. Pretty soon they will be less like strangers as you recognize the shared bond and understanding among you.
​You will find a compassionate and supportive group of people there.  The meeting may be in a church or office building with chairs at tables or maybe in a circle.  Some meetings are very small and some have quite a few people. You will see people bring in books known as daily readers or Al-anon Conference Approved Literature.  Some meetings the members will take turns reading out of one of readers on a selected topic. These books can be purchased at the meeting or on the WSO website. 
Al-Anon meetings follow a set format and structure to avoid surprises. That way if you go to another meeting, you can expect the same format, with little variations, most likely discussion topics, books, or chairperson. 
You will learn that in Al-Anon we like to Keep it Simple and Consistent. For example, if the meeting is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m., it will most likely start right at that time and last for one hour. The consistency and uniformity you experience at Al-Anon meetings make it easier to participate in meetings anywhere. It is good to go to different meetings in your area so you can find the one that you feel the most comfortable. We recommend that you attend at least six meetings before deciding if Al-Anon is right for you.  It can show you a better and healthier way to deal with the difficulties of life that we face when someone we love struggles with addiction.   This is why we say, "Keep Coming Back, It Works If You Work It!"  Going to a meeting doesn't mean you have to share the intimate details of your life.  You only need to walk in and sit down. Simply by listening, you will encounter individuals who are empathetic and nonjudgmental, ready to share their experiences, hopes, and strength. Pretty soon they will be less like strangers as you recognize the shared bond and understanding among you.
​For more Information about what happens in a Alanon Meeting Click Here.

Let's Talk About Crosstalk
Creating and maintaining healthy groups in Al-Anon is key to the survival of our fellowship and to the growth of each member. There are many factors which contribute to having healthy groups; one of the main ones being how we conduct the loving interchange during our meetings. Crosstalk is a term which has arisen in connection with certain behaviors considered to interfere with people feeling safe to share freely and openly and has caused a lot of discussion amongst Al-Anon members. Examples of crosstalk are:

Advice-giving, criticizing, or making comments about what others have already shared, Questioning or interrupting the person speaking, talking while someone is sharing, or speaking directly to another person rather than to the group. By avoiding crosstalk, we accept what others say because it is true for them.
Together we create a safe environment for self-discovery. Trust, confidentiality, and honesty allow us the freedom to reveal our secrets, our fears, our deepest hurts, our worst mistakes, and admit to one another the vulnerable, undisclosed aspects of ourselves. It further encourages the individual’s own ability to hear the truth as spoken to his or her heart.
Crosstalk doesn’t forbid a person from speaking on a topic already mentioned during the meeting. However, there are some basic guidelines that we, as a Fellowship, have found to be helpful. First and foremost, when we speak, we share about our own experience honestly: what it was like, what happened, and what it is like for us now.
Experience has shown us that the greatest progress occurs when we each focus on our own recovery. When we focus on our own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, actions, activities, and recovery, we are taking responsibility for our own lives. Let us keep our focus on ourselves, using first-person statements like I think, I feel, and I need as we share our own experience, strength, and hope.  Remember that you are not speaking to please other people or to fix someone else or being graded on your recovery. You are speaking to help yourself! In this way, we are better able to truly assist our fellow brothers and sisters in recovery.
Click here to read more about Cross Talk.
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