Important Dates 2011
Local Al-Anon News
 
Al-Anon History

1946

Relatives of Alcoholics Anonymous members in Phoenix began to get together in the 1940’s. At that time most AA members were men and the relatives were usually the wives.
Here are the words of an Arizona wife describing these early meetings: "The wives' group just kind of evolved – there was nothing really planned about it. At that time, to the best of our knowledge, there was no group anywhere for the [non-alcoholics] of the family. The men would drop their wives off at our place, just for company, and the conversation most naturally was about our men, their problems with the bottle, and all that went with it. We gradually found ourselves awakening to the fact that WE had problems, too. So we decided to have our own meeting every week. We . . . used the A. A.. 12 Steps for ourselves – just changing that 1st step. We had to admit we were powerless over an alcoholic! At that time, our group was known as Triple A – Alcoholics Anonymous Auxiliary.”

1948

The family members moved their meetings from member homes to the Adams Hotel in downtown Phoenix, the same location as the AA meetings held on Tuesday evenings.

In April 1948, Lois and Bill W. visited the meeting in Phoenix and attended a luncheon held in their honor. Lois stressed the need to continue the family groups and increase their number.

The first literature for the family group was brought from California. This literature included The Twelve Steps, the Serenity Prayer, and a brief introduction to the Steps.

1949

By this time, the Triple A family group had outgrown the meeting room at the Adams Hotel and moved to the Westward Ho Hotel. Subsequent moves were made to the Phoenix Women’s Club and the Trinity Cathedral. This first family group became known as the Pioneer Triple A Group.

1951

Two wives of New York A. A. members, Lois W. and Anne B., formed a Clearing House Committee to coordinate the family groups that had informally sprung up around the country. Starting with 87 initial inquiries, they sent out questionnaires and received responses from 56 groups. As a result of the questionnaires, the name Al-Anon Family Groups was chosen and the groups adopted The Twelve Steps of AA. In Arizona new groups were forming in Tucson as well as in Phoenix.

1951

Tucson groups published the Triple A booklet that included The Twelve Steps, the Serenity Prayer and an introduction to the Steps.

1955

Al-Anon’s first book, The Al-Anon Family Groups, A Guide for the Families of Problem Drinkers, was published.

1956

The World Directory of Al-Anon listed 7 groups in Arizona with 1 proposed group.

1962

The first state assembly of Al-Anon was held in Phoenix on January 21 at the Desert Hills Hotel. 28 members represented 13 groups. Arizona’s first delegate to the World Service Conference was chosen. State officers were selected to coordinate the flow of information from groups throughout Arizona.

Now

Al-Anon Family Groups have continued to grow. Today there are more than 300 Al-Anon and Alateen groups throughout Arizona.

The Three Legacies

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.

(Use the links below to read each of the Three Legacies)

The Twelve Steps - The Twelve Traditions - The Twelve Concepts

 

The Twelve Steps

Study of these Steps is essential to progress in the Al-Anon program. The principles they embody are universal, applicable to everyone, whatever your personal creed. In Al-Anon, we strive for an ever-deeper understanding of these Steps, and pray for the wisdom to apply them to our lives.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable. 

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.  

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.  

4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.  

5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.  

6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.  

7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.  

8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.  

9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.  

10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.  

11. 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. carry that out. 

12. 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.

The Twelve Steps - The Twelve Traditions - The Twelve Concepts

Back to Top

The Twelve Traditions


These guidelines are the means of promoting harmony and growth in Al-Anon groups and in the worldwide fellowship of Al-Anon as a whole. Our group experience suggests that our unity depends upon our adherence to these Traditions.

1. Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.

2. 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. 

3. 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. 

4. Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting another group or Al-Anon or AA as a whole. 

5. 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. 

6. 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 cooperate with Alcoholics Anonymous.

7. Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. 

8. Al-Anon Twelfth-Step work should remain forever non-professional, but our service centers may employ special workers. 

9. Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve. 

10. The Al-Anon Family Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy. 

11. Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, TV and films. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members. 

12. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.

The Twelve Steps - The Twelve Traditions - The Twelve Concepts

Back to Top

Twelve Concepts of Service


1. The ultimate responsibility and authority for Al-Anon world services belongs to the Al-Anon groups.

2. The Al-Anon Family Groups have delegated complete administrative and operational authority to their Conference and its service arms.

3. The right of decision makes effective leadership possible.

4. Participation is the key to harmony.

5. The rights of appeal and petition protect minorities and insure that they be heard.

6. The Conference acknowledges the primary administrative responsibility of the Trustees.

7. The Trustees have legal rights while the rights of the Conference are traditional.

8. The Board of Trustees delegates full authority for routine management of Al-Anon Headquarters to its executive committees.

9. Good personal leadership at all service levels is a necessity. In the field of world service the Board of Trustees assumes the primary leadership.

10. Service responsibility is balanced by carefully defined service authority and double-headed management is avoided.

11. The World Service Office is composed of selected committees, executives and staff members.

12. The spiritual foundation for Al-Anon's world services is contained in the General Warranties of the Conference, Article 12 of the Charter.

The Twelve Steps - The Twelve Traditions - The Twelve Concepts

Back to Top

From "Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual," copyright 2000, by Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.

The Al-Anon Twelve Steps and Traditions

__________________________________________________________________________

Rogue Valley Al-Anon - What is Al-Anon? - Rogue Valley Alateen - Al-Anon Meetings - Al-Anon Events - Public Outreach -
12 Steps and Traditions - Al-Anon Literature (S.O.L.D) - DR Corner - Al-Anon Contacts - Al-Anon & AA Links - Al-Anon Videos

_____________________________________________________

© Copyright 2008-2010 District 7 Roguevalleyal-anon.org