Key takeaway
Al-Anon books are members writing for the meeting table and for the morning before anyone else is up. One Day at a Time and Courage to Change are the daily readers people meet first. How Al-Anon Works is the basic book. Adult children and teens have their own titles. You can go tonight with empty hands.
Last updated: Mon Oct 05 2026 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Some mornings you wake up before the rest of the house and you want one page that is not about them. That is what these books are for. Members wrote them. The World Service Conference adopted Conference Approved Literature in 1961, and that is the shelf a meeting reads from, so the hour stays on members' experience.
You do not need any of it to go tonight. Newcomers are usually handed something small, plus a local list. Buy a book later, if a page starts to sound like your kitchen.
A page for the morning
One Day at a Time in Al-Anon was the first daily reader, in 1968. People still call it the ODAT. It is a reading for each day that connects the program to ordinary situations.
Courage to Change, also called One Day at a Time in Al-Anon II, came in 1992 for the whole fellowship. If the older book feels like it was written for a marriage in another decade, this is the one people often try next. Many home groups read whichever one the chair brought.
A Little Time for Myself is a later daily reader: personal experiences from the fellowship as it is now, for anyone affected by someone else's drinking.
If you grew up in the house, Hope for Today is the daily reader from adult-children members. The sharings are also for anyone who wants to grow in acceptance. You do not have to have grown up there to read it. If you did, it is the one written toward that ache. The role guide is that seat.
One book, if you want the whole program
How Al-Anon Works for Families and Friends of Alcoholics is the basic book. It was introduced in 1995, for your own reading and for meeting study. If you want something that is not a daily page, start here. The Steps guide is the short version of the ideas. The book is where people actually study them.
Paths to Recovery is the study book on the Steps, the Traditions, and the Concepts of Service, with questions, and there is a workbook if you want lines to write on. It is a lot for a newcomer who is still deciding whether to come back.
Lois Remembers is Lois W.'s own account of the years before and after the office opened. The overview is the short version of 1951 if a book is too much this week.
When the hurt has a particular shape
The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage is the older book for a spouse: anger, how you talk to each other, and sex, in members' language. Discovering Choices is wider. Members share how they used the program in all kinds of relationships touched by alcoholism, not only a wedding.
To Parents of Alcoholics is sharings from parents, plus questions, for the fear and guilt of realizing your child drinks. How Can I Help My Children? is the nearby piece: parents writing about helping their children understand alcoholism in the family. Those are two different pains. One is "my child drinks." The other is "my children are living with someone's drinking."
From Survival to Recovery: Growing Up in an Alcoholic Home came out in 1994, the first book for and by people who grew up with alcoholism. Members tell their stories and look at the long effects. Did You Grow Up with a Problem Drinker? is twenty questions for deciding whether Al-Anon fits. Al-Anon Family Groups Welcome Adult Children of Alcoholics is a short welcome. Adult Children of Alcoholics, the fellowship, is a different door. The adult-children guide keeps those two straight.
Opening Our Hearts, Transforming Our Losses is about grief, because loss touches almost every part of living with alcoholism. Intimacy in Alcoholic Relationships is members on physical, emotional, and spiritual closeness. Neither one is a therapy manual.
For the teenager, not for you to assign
Alateen, Hope for Children of Alcoholics was the first Alateen book, in 1973. It is a basic introduction to alcoholism and the Alateen program. Alateen a day at a time is sharings from Alateen members. Living Today in Alateen is the second daily reader, about the day the teen is actually in. Courage to Be Me, Living with Alcoholism, is the longer book, with workshops a group can use. Has Your Life Been Affected by Someone Else's Drinking? is twenty questions for a young person.
If you are the parent, your books are the adult ones, and your meeting is Al-Anon. The teen's book is for the teen. What Alateen is covers the meeting and the sponsor. A book does not replace the safety rules around those meetings.
Getting a copy, and then going anyway
Literature is usually on the table at a meeting. The online store sells it too. Newcomer packets exist so a group can hand a first-timer something small. Prices live on the store because they change. Get the copy the group is reading, from the table or from the store.
If you want AA's book instead, that is the Big Book, and it belongs to the person who is there to stop drinking. The Big Book page on this site is that book.
Tonight, skip the shopping if you are raw. Find a meeting with the finder, or open online meetings if you need to stay home, and let the group hand you a pamphlet. Call or text (800) 653-9376 if you need help finding treatment. If someone needs medical detox, a book will not do that job. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911.
Additional Resources
Sources cited on this page:
- Al-Anon Family Groups: Catalog of Conference Approved Literature (S-15)
- Al-Anon Family Groups: Al-Anon timeline
- Al-Anon Family Groups: FAQ for newcomers
- Al-Anon Family Groups: Courage to Change
- Al-Anon Family Groups: Find an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Common Questions
Do I need a book before my first meeting?
No. Newcomers are usually offered a piece of literature and a meeting list when they arrive. You can listen for weeks before you buy anything. The books sit beside the meetings. They do not replace the room. Go tonight and take what is on the table if you want it.
Which daily reader should I start with?
One Day at a Time in Al-Anon, from 1968, was the first, a page that ties the program to an ordinary day. Courage to Change, from 1992, is the later daily reader, written for a wider set of members. If the older book feels like another generation's marriage, try the newer one. Either is a fine start.
I grew up with it. Which book is actually for me?
Hope for Today is daily writing from adult-children members. From Survival to Recovery, published in 1994, was the first book by members who grew up with alcoholism. The pamphlet Did You Grow Up with a Problem Drinker? is a short set of questions. Adult Children of Alcoholics is a different fellowship.
What can I put in a teenager's hands?
Alateen, Hope for Children of Alcoholics, from 1973, is the basic introduction. Alateen a day at a time and Living Today in Alateen are the daily readers. Courage to Be Me is the longer book, with workshops a group can use. A spouse book is the wrong gift. The meeting matters more than the book.
Where do I get a copy without guessing a price?
Look on the literature table at a meeting, or use the online store on al-anon.org. Prices change, so they are not listed here. Meetings read from the Conference Approved shelf. Buy or borrow the copy the group is actually using.