November’s mailing from the World Service Office leans into gratitude, with a few practical notes for the holiday season. Check that your group’s meeting listing is accurate, hear that the five-year Longitudinal Study is complete, and see a limited-time Relationships Bundle and more eBooks on additional platforms. Then come five pieces from Inside Al-Anon Family Groups on welcoming newcomers, accessible literature, gratitude as action, service to Alateen, and protecting our message, plus three sharings from The Forum and a blog topic about your gratitude soundtrack.

Life happens—is your group still meeting as scheduled? Update now at al-anon.org/grp-records. Colorful pushpins mark dates on a wall calendar

Life happens—is your group meeting as scheduled? When schedules shift due to holidays or time off, a little communication can make a big difference. It could mean the difference between a newcomer feeling discouraged and a newcomer finally finding that help and hope we feel in Al-Anon.

You can keep everyone informed and connected to the hand of Al-Anon by:

  • Updating your meeting listing on local and World Service Office websites
  • Notifying your District or AIS of schedule changes
  • Informing the meeting venue and posting a clear sign
  • Providing alternative meeting resources, such as information about electronic meetings or a list of additional meetings in the area

Go to al-anon.org/groupupdate to update your group info anytime.

5-Year Longitudinal Study complete! Thank you to all who participated. A globe and a laptop sit on a desk

Longitudinal Study complete. After five years, the Al-Anon Family Groups’ Longitudinal Study has concluded. Launched in 2021 and conducted each September, the study was open to members who opted in during its first year.

The World Service Office is grateful to the members who generously shared their experience throughout this journey. Their participation has contributed to a growing body of knowledge about the impact of Al-Anon recovery. The study results will now be analyzed and the findings made available to medical and education professionals seeking confirmation on how participation in Al-Anon impacts the lives of individuals and families affected by someone else’s alcoholism before recommending individuals to our program.

Available for a limited time! The Al-Anon Family Groups Relationships Bundle (K-76), with Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships, Living with Sobriety, and Healing within Our Alcoholic Relationships. A woman relaxes in a cozy chair with a warm drink

New! Holiday Bundle

The Al-Anon Family Groups Relationships Bundle with free shipping!

Relationships can be the source of our greatest challenges, growth, and joy. If you’re seeking understanding and encouragement for a spouse, partner, family member, friend, or yourself, you’ll find timeless wisdom and experience in the 2026 Al-Anon Family Groups Relationships Bundle (K-76) with free shipping.

The Al-Anon Family Groups Relationships Bundle (K-76) includes:

  • Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships (B-33)
  • Living with Sobriety (P-49)
  • Healing within Our Alcoholic Relationships (P-95)

This discounted set is just $18 US and includes free shipping.

Enrich your recovery and relationships. Visit al-anon.org/shop to purchase.

New eBooks are now available from Al-Anon Family Groups, with How Al-Anon Works, Having Had a Spiritual Awakening, and Courage to Change now on more platforms

The Latest CAL Titles as eBooks

The World Service Office continues to release Conference Approved Literature (CAL) in eBook format each month. This month, three existing eBooks are now available on additional platforms:

  • How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics (eB-32)
  • Having Had a Spiritual Awakening… (eB-25)
  • Courage to Change: One Day at a Time in Al-Anon II (eB-16)

Open the list below for every title available now, or visit al-anon.org/shop.

  • Alateen—Hope for Children of Alcoholics (eB-3)
  • The Al-Anon Family Groups – Classic Edition (eB-5)
  • One Day at a Time in Al-Anon (eB-6)
  • Lois Remembers (eB-7)
  • Al-Anon’s Twelve Steps & Twelve Traditions (Revised) (eB-8)
  • Alateen – a day at a time (eB-10)
  • As We Understood… (eB-11)
  • …In All Our Affairs: Making Crises Work for You (eB-15)
  • Courage to Change: One Day at a Time in Al-Anon II (eB-16)
  • From Survival to Recovery (eB-21)
  • Courage to Be Me—Living with Alcoholism (eB-23)
  • Paths to Recovery – Al-Anon’s Steps, Traditions, and Concepts (eB-24)
  • Having Had a Spiritual Awakening… (eB-25)
  • Living Today in Alateen (eB-26)
  • Hope for Today (eB-27)
  • Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses (eB-29)
  • Discovering Choices – Recovery in Relationships (eB-30)
  • Many Voices, One Journey (eB-31)
  • How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics (eB-32)
  • Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships (eB-33)
  • A Little Time for Myself (eB-34)
  • 2026-2029 Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual (eP-24/27)
Help Al-Anon Family Groups continue supporting families and friends of alcoholics for generations to come. Two members review documents with an advisor

Leaving Al-Anon a Bequest

Many Al-Anon members have designated Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. (AFG, Inc.), also known as the World Service Office, as a beneficiary in their will, in gratitude for the help they received from our fellowship during their lifetime. Designating a bequest to Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters is one way to ensure that our program will be there for future generations. These gifts help us to continue to carry the Al-Anon message to those family members and friends of alcoholics still seeking help and hope.

In keeping with our Seventh Tradition of self-support, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. and Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters (Canada), Inc., may accept bequests only from Al-Anon members. Therefore, it would be useful to send a letter to the World Service Office (WSO) stating that you are a member and that you have made a bequest. No further details are necessary. This letter can confirm membership in Al-Anon when the will is probated. Members can bequeath an unlimited amount to Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters; however, in keeping with the longstanding policy, earmarked bequests or those designated for a specific purpose cannot be accepted. All gifts are appreciated, no matter the size.

Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. The tax number is available from the WSO upon request. Your attorney can help with the designation process.

Learn more at al-anon.org/blog/leaving-al-anon-a-bequest.

Inside Al-Anon Family Groups

Five pieces this month: why gratitude can be an action, how to welcome newcomers this holiday season, how every service position touches Alateen, how CAL is becoming more accessible to members with visual impairments, and a word of thanks to the members who help protect our message.

Growing up, gift-giving occasions could be emotionally complex and intense. There were unspoken expectations of how to prove your love: the gift had to be the right type and cost a certain amount. It had to be delivered in a carefully orchestrated manner to elicit the desired response. I would silently hope I had done enough and spent enough to reassure the alcoholic I loved them. Giving out of obligation created resentment, but I continued to play the game. I didn’t know there was another way.

When I came into the program, I was not told I had to contribute money or do service. Nor was I told how to do it. Slowly, I started to follow others’ examples. I put money in the basket and volunteered when I realized I wanted the group to continue and that I had a part to play in that. I was pretty selfish; I just wanted my group to be there for me!

Over time, being in Al-Anon has transformed my idea of what it means to give and to receive. Today, I know that there are many ways of giving: I can share; I can listen; I can be of service; I can forgive; I can thank; I can love. Today, I give because I am grateful and want to, not because I have to. I give from my bounty, not from my reserve. I recognize that gratitude is more than an attitude; it can also be an action.

Step Ten comes to mind as the end of the year approaches: How have I given? How have I received? Have I felt gratitude…and acted on it with the guidance of my Higher Power? A grateful member writes in As We Understood… (B-11): “‘To keep it, you have to give it away.’ You gave it to me, every one of you, each in your own way. I am eternally grateful because you gave me back my life and added a quality to it that I did not imagine existed” (p. 21).

I used to think a contribution was made only out of gratitude for what I received in the past or for how I feel in the present. Today, I believe it can also be a statement of hope for the future. When I give to Al-Anon, I share my experience, strength, and hope with others—the hope that they can find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.

As we reflect on the gifts we have received in Al-Anon, we recognize that gratitude is both a feeling and a practice. One way we honor that gratitude is through giving. We can do so in several ways:

  • Visit the Contributions page on our website at al-anon.org/contributions and contribute via PayPal or credit card.
  • Use the Contributions tab on the Al-Anon Family Groups Mobile App to contribute electronically via Apple Pay or Google Pay.
  • Make an individual or group contribution to the World Service Office by mail to AFG, Inc. at 1600 Corporate Landing Parkway, Virginia Beach, VA 23454, USA.
  • Visit our website to learn more about leaving Al-Anon a bequest at al-anon.org/blog/leaving-al-anon-a-bequest

Thank you.

By Olivia S-G., Paralegal

The holidays are approaching quickly. For newcomers seeking help at this time of year, please make sure that your group meeting information is correct.

Ask yourself and your group, “What did I need when I went to my first meeting?” Specific location or login instructions about your meeting can be helpful to a newcomer attending Al-Anon/Alateen for the first time. We want everyone to feel welcome in our Al-Anon and Alateen meetings!

  • Is there a special door to gain access to the building or a room number for the Al-Anon/Alateen meeting?
  • Are there passwords or login instructions needed to join the Al-Anon/Alateen meeting electronically?
  • Is there a sign on the door or chat notice to alert people if your group won’t be meeting that week? (For example, “Not meeting on Thanksgiving.”)
  • Is there a volunteer from the group to be a “Greeter” for those attending your Al-Anon meeting for the first time?
  • Has the group’s temporary electronic meeting information been removed from your group record? If not, go to al-anon.org/update to update.

Submit your Al-Anon group changes online anytime throughout the year. For help with submitting Alateen changes, contact your Area Alateen Process Person.

When I arrived at the doors of Al-Anon Family Groups, I was in my early 20s, just barely above the cutoff age for Alateen. I was raising a toddler and an infant with an alcoholic partner. I have often wondered how much more manageable my teen years might have been had I found recovery earlier. Today, years later, I realize I might have resisted the help. That tendency robbed me of many opportunities to accept help instead of recklessly plowing my own path with distorted, immature thinking. Perhaps I needed to suffer a little longer from the effects of loving alcoholics before I could admit that I needed help.

Years later, when my children had entered their teenage years, I knew they would benefit from the recovery Alateen offers. While there were a few certified Al-Anon Members Involved in Alateen Service (AMIAS) supporting local Alateen meetings, I understood the importance of allowing my children the freedom to grow in the program without feeling scrutinized because their parent was in the same room. So, I stepped back from serving their group, but I found other ways to serve Alateen.

Through my own recovery in Al-Anon, I recognized the miracles that could help teens build a balanced foundation for making healthy choices and creating strong relationships. I wanted to make sure that Alateen would continue to be available for all those seeking help in the future. I was the first Alateen Coordinator in my Area. During that first panel, we determined that one member could serve as both the Area Alateen Coordinator and the Area Alateen Process Person (AAPP). This met our Area’s needs given the relatively small number of meetings.

Learning the responsibilities of the Area Alateen Coordinator and AAPP positions helped me encourage other members to serve Alateen. And most service positions do touch Alateen in some way. Carrying the message of help and hope to teens involves cooperating with Public Outreach Coordinators. Literature Coordinators can share information about Conference Approved Literature (CAL) so teens have access to it wherever possible. Al-Anon Information Service (AIS) centers provide accurate meeting information, and District Representatives (DRs) report the current Alateen group status at Area World Service Committee (AWSC) meetings. These days, I consider how attractive the Al-Anon groups I attend are to teens who are reaching the upper age limit for Alateen.

It can be said that it’s a different world for children and teens these days, but the effects of the family disease of alcoholism seem just as troubling as they were long ago. Today, I recertify annually as an AMIAS so I can serve Alateen locally whenever needed. It is the joy of service in my recovery to help ensure that Alateen is available to teens in need. Our shared responsibility for service to Alateens reminds me that “Together We Can Make It!”

By Christa A., Group Services & Alateen Coordinator

Access to Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature (CAL) helps ensure that members can benefit from the message of hope and recovery, regardless of visual ability.

Many members turn to CAL for experience, strength, and hope between meetings. As part of Al-Anon’s commitment to barrier-free access to recovery from the family disease of alcoholism, the selection of CAL available in accessible formats continues to expand. Expanding access to literature through audiobooks and eBooks allows members with visual impairments to engage with recovery resources and the Al-Anon program in ways that meet their needs.

Al-Anon currently offers three titles for purchase in audiobook format:

  • Courage to Change (B-16)
  • How Al-Anon Works for Families & Friends of Alcoholics (B-32)
  • Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses (B-29)

Additionally, all current CAL book titles are now available as eBooks. Many eBooks offer features such as adjustable text size and compatibility with accessibility tools, depending on the platform and device used. These formats may also be helpful for members with other related challenges or temporary health limitations or who find value in listening to literature. Groups may also wish to include information about accessible CAL formats in newcomer packets, meeting announcements, websites, newsletters, and outreach materials.

Local accessibility services and library systems can help locate more specialized alternative formats of CAL that have been secured by the Library of Congress using the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) that appears on each book’s publication page. Patrons of the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled can recommend that Al-Anon books be added to its collection. The World Service Office does not produce CAL in these specialized formats but cooperates with those agencies that can produce and distribute them, with permission, to visually impaired members.

Visit al-anon.org/shop to see a complete listing of Al-Anon’s eBooks and audiobooks. Select “Digital Products” under the “Products” tab to browse all titles.

Copyright? Trademark? Terms like these may not seem to relate to the primary purpose of our Al-Anon program. Yet oftentimes when the World Service Office (WSO) and members talk to each other and reason things out regarding unintentional violations of the legal boundaries these terms describe, the outcome becomes a spiritual experience for both Staff and the members involved.

The WSO is constantly inspired and encouraged by the willingness of our members to accept responsibility for and take action to resolve violations as soon as they become aware of them. Whether resolution involves removing the Al-Anon trademarked logo from commercial websites or pulling down a podcast that includes readings from our Conference Approved Literature, most members are eager to practice “obedience to the unenforceable.” They come to understand that maintaining the consistency of the Al-Anon Family Groups message of hope relies on each individual member understanding and adhering to the Public Outreach Policy, which designates the WSO as the sole publishing agent for the fellowship. By respecting these protections, members help ensure that newcomers and longtime members alike can trust that the Al-Anon message they receive is authentic, consistent, and reflects the experience, strength, and hope of our worldwide fellowship.

In a month associated with gratitude, the WSO extends its deep appreciation to every trusted servant and member who takes the time to understand the Public Outreach Policy, as well as to those who respond kindly and enthusiastically to WSO efforts to protect the Al-Anon name for all those who are still suffering and have yet to find recovery in our rooms. Your willingness to cooperate helps preserve our unity and strengthens our ability to carry the message of hope and recovery through Al-Anon.

“Inside Al-Anon Family Groups” presents news, policy, and commentary from volunteers, staff, and readers sharing experience through service. Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.

Sharings from The Forum

Three members this month on the serenity they first saw in others, what serenity is not, and rerouting a mind stuck in the mud.

When I started going to meetings, I didn’t know what made all of you so happy and content, but I wanted to feel that way. I kept coming back and, without even realizing it, I started feeling the peace that I saw in all of you. But first I had to learn many things and make them part of my life. I had to learn to:

  • Accept that I am not perfect and learn to forgive my mistakes.
  • “Live and Let Live.”
  • Stop worrying.
  • Stop manipulating—I can ask for what I need.
  • Believe that no one has the power to make me unhappy.
  • Recognize the big difference between being assertive and being aggressive.
  • Understand that being powerless doesn’t mean being helpless.
  • Accept that being humble is not the same as being humiliated.
  • Recognize the difference between offering support and enabling.
  • Take care of myself, which is not selfish.

I learned that when I stop trying to tell my Higher Power how and when to do what I want, I get what I need. And I know that the thing I need the most is the serenity that the program has given me.

By Alicia D., Pennsylvania

Struggling with the need for clarity when dealing with abstract concepts, I have always wanted to know what something is. After 15 years in Al-Anon, I had no idea what serenity was. How could I tell I had serenity if I had no idea what it felt like? I started thinking hard about the concept. I could identify what serenity wasn’t, and by doing that I could begin to understand what serenity was.

Serenity isn’t walking around on tiptoe (sometimes literally) to avoid setting off my alcoholic. It isn’t having to watch every word I speak, praying I won’t be misunderstood. So when I can be my mumbling, bumbling self without fearing ridicule or punishment, maybe that’s a taste of serenity?

Serenity isn’t being consumed by thoughts, worries, and fears for my alcoholic loved one. It isn’t lying in bed at night listening for their car to pull up or for the front door to open so I know they are alive. It isn’t having to monitor their spending so the lights don’t get turned off. It isn’t calling their workplace and lying about why they won’t be in—again. So when I can get a good night’s sleep, pay my bills on time, and not have to make up stories about imaginary illnesses, maybe that’s a taste of serenity?

Serenity isn’t pouring out alcohol or begging them not to drink just for this occasion. It isn’t sitting at work praying they remember to pick our son up from practice and that they are sober when they do. It isn’t making sure there is beer in the fridge on a Saturday night so they have it on Sunday when it’s not for sale in the store. And it definitely isn’t yelling and trying to prove my point with someone who won’t remember it tomorrow morning. So going to a special event without worrying about a drunk person making a scene or going out with friends and knowing my children are safe, maybe that’s a taste of serenity?

Lastly, serenity isn’t about keeping secrets from those who care about me so I or my alcoholic loved one won’t look bad. It isn’t about accepting blame for things that go wrong just to keep the peace. It isn’t about trying to do it all to the point that I’m physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. So when I can release the opinions of myself, tell myself I’m doing the best I can (and believe it), and take the blame only for my part of things, maybe that’s a taste of serenity?

I still struggle with what serenity is, but I can see now what it isn’t. I realize, at least some of the time, that I’ve found it. Serenity!

By Tanya B., Georgia

Have you ever gotten your car stuck in the mud? The more you accelerate, the deeper the rut becomes. You’re not going to get out by spinning your wheels.

Recently, someone in a meeting compared the neural pathways in our brain to the ruts in the mud when our car is stuck. The more we repeat the same destructive thoughts and behavior, the more ingrained those ideas and habits become. So, we’re spinning our wheels, continuing to utilize old beliefs, and acting in ways we learned as coping mechanisms for life with an alcoholic.

Some of us carry these beliefs from childhood. “I’m not good enough,” or “This was a stupid idea,” or “Why even try; it’s not going to happen,” are thoughts that ran through my brain constantly. And even though those beliefs are no longer true, that rut in my brain was so deep that it’s taken a long time and a lot of conscious effort to reroute my thinking.

Daily practice of Steps Six and Seven—“Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character,” and “Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings”—helps me arrest old, erroneous beliefs and redirect. The image hit me one day of a bulldozer filling those ruts with huge quantities of rich, fertile soil.

Now when I find myself veering toward a mud-mind, I remind myself that road is closed. As a matter of fact, it’s blossoming into a gorgeous field of flowers. Just like me.

By Mimi W., South Carolina

Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.

New topic for the Member Blog: What’s playing on your gratitude soundtrack? A smiling man wears headphones and holds a phone

What Is on Your Gratitude Soundtrack?

What Al-Anon readings, slogans, prayers, practices, or personal experiences help keep gratitude playing in the background of your recovery? What reminds you of the gifts of the Al-Anon program, especially during challenging times?

You are also welcome to share on one or more of our Legacies. This month features Step Eleven, Tradition Eleven, and Concept Eleven.

Share at al-anon.org/member-blog. Sharings on the Member Blog may be used in future Al-Anon publications, and new topics are added each month.