Information for Professionals
Al-Anon Family Groups, which includes Alateen, has been in existence for over 50 years as a community resource providing support to those affected by someone else's drinking. Today, there are over 26,000 Al-Anon and Alateen groups meeting in 115 countries. Our meetings are anonymous and confidential. There are no dues or fees for membership.
40% of Al-Anon members report that a professional influenced their decision to attend their first Al-Anon meeting. Al-Anon and Alateen meetings are compatible with all types of counseling and medical treatment.
Al-Anon
- Is for families and friends of alcoholics
- Is a separate fellowship from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
- Al-Anon is based on the 12 Steps and 12 Traditions adapted from AA
- Is compatible with professional treatment
Alateen
- Is part of the Al-Anon fellowship designed for the younger relatives and friends of alcoholics through age nineteen
- Members conduct their own meetings with the guidance of an Al-Anon sponsor
- Follows the same Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and principles as Al-Anon
Al-Anon and Alateen Members Are Helped When They:
- Attend meetings on a regular basis
- Make telephone contact with other members
- Read Al-Anon/Alateen literature
- Have a sponsor
- Apply the Twelve Steps of recovery to their lives
- Become involved in Al-Anon service work
Al-Anon and Alateen Groups Do Not:
- Give advice
- Indulge in gossip or criticism
- Discuss members' religious beliefs, or lack of them
- Endorse or oppose any cause, therapy, or treatment
Al-Anon makes available several pamphlets, in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, which may assist you in making referrals to Al-Anon/Alateen family group meetings:
- Al-Anon Speaks Out (U.S. and Canada newsletter)
- Al-Anon Speaks Out (Canada newsletter in French)
- Factsheet for Professionals
- Information for Educators
- Alcoholics, Their Families, and the Judicial System
- For Human Resource and Employee Assistance professionals: Help for Employees
If you don't have the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, you can download the software for free.
Al-Anon/Alateen Member Survey:
Every three years, Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. conducts a survey of its members in the US and Canada. A snapshot of the results is published in the pamphlet Who Are the Members of Al-Anon/Alateen? (S-29).
This page last updated on July 2, 2006.