600 guides in moments in the room
You Are Mad at Your Sponsor
You are mad at your sponsor. You do not want to drink, and you do not want to call them. You can go to a meeting anyway. The anger can wait.
You Are on the Bathroom Floor
You are on the bathroom floor because it is the only door that locks. You can join an Al-Anon meeting from there and only listen.
You Are on the Bench Outside
You are on a bench outside the meeting and you have not gone in. Sitting there is closer. You can go in late and listen, or open a phone meeting.
You Are on the Clinic Line
You are on the clinic line and the day looks like a setup to use. Put an NA meeting after the dose. Do not let a share talk you out of medicine.
You Are on the Couch Again
You are on the couch again. If the bedroom is unsafe, call 911. If you are angry, exhausted, and not in danger, you can join a meeting with the camera off.
You Are Outside Their Meeting
You drove them, or you followed, and now you are outside their meeting. Their room is not yours. Al-Anon can be yours tonight.
You Are Past Sixty and New
You are past sixty and the room looks younger. Starting now feels shameful. Membership asks for a desire to stop drinking. You can sit and listen tonight.
You Are Proud of One Day
You are proud of one day and afraid to say it out loud in case you jinx it. The day still counts. You can tell one person, or only sit in a meeting and know it.
You Are Seventeen and Sure It Is Too Soon
You are young and sure you do not qualify. The English pamphlet tells seven stories, ages 17 to 23. That range is not a locked door.
You Are Sponsoring and You Are Scared
Someone asked you to sponsor them and you feel unqualified. You need not know the pamphlet tonight. You can say you do not know. You are not their physician.
You Are Standing in the Hall
They went into a closed A.A. meeting and left you in the hall. That room is not your chair. If their drinking brought you here, Al-Anon is for you.
You Are Still High
You used today and the meeting has started. You can still walk in and listen. If this is an overdose or withdrawal emergency, call 911 before the chair.
You Are Still in the Car
You parked outside the meeting and you cannot open the door. Walk in and only listen, or join a phone meeting from the lot.
You Are the Friend Who Gets the Call
You are the friend who gets the drunk calls. Friends count in Al-Anon. You can go to a meeting without them, even if they never ask.
You Are the Only Man There
You are the only man in the room. You can stay, or look for a meeting listed for men. If you are in the wrong room, you can leave without a speech.
You Are the Only Woman There
You walked into a mixed meeting and you are the only woman. You can stay and listen, or look for a meeting listed for women. You do not have to switch.
You Are the Passenger
The driver has been drinking or using and you are in the passenger seat. This is danger. If you can do it safely, get out at a lit public place and call 911.
You Are the Stepparent at the Table
Someone said it is not your business because you are not the real parent. You live here. Al-Anon includes you. You can leave the table and find a meeting.
You Are Tired of Being Steady
Everyone leans on you, and you are tired of being the steady one. An Al-Anon meeting tonight is an hour you do not have to hold anyone up.
You Are Tired of Smoothing It Over
Relatives keep asking how they are, and you are tired of translating. You can tell a smaller truth, or none. Al-Anon can hold the rest tonight.
You Asked for a Sponsor and Heard No
You asked someone to sponsor you and they said not now. No is a complete answer. There is no assignment desk. You can ask someone else and still go tonight.
You Ate Standing at the Counter
You ate standing up because sitting down felt like too much. You can take a chair at an Al-Anon meeting tonight, even if dinner never got a table.
You Ate Without Waiting for Them
You ate dinner instead of holding the meal. The guilt is loud, and you are still allowed to eat. Al-Anon is there tonight if you want a chair.
You Brought Someone Who Is Still Drinking
You brought a friend who is still drinking. If they are only watching, choose an open meeting. You can still be there for yourself.
You Brought Your Own Cup
You brought your own cup to the meeting because you did not want theirs. You can keep it. There are no dues or fees. Sit down and stay.
You Called In Sick for Them
You called their job and lied this morning. You do not have to do it again tonight. Al-Anon is a meeting for the person who is tired of that voice.
You Came an Hour Early
You came an hour early so you could leave if it felt wrong, and the fear is growing. You can sit in the car. You do not have to make friends before it starts.
You Came Back for the Bag
You fled and left a bag, and you came back because of the bag. Stay ten more minutes if you can. Coming back through the door still counts as a return.
You Came for Their Signature
You drove a family member and someone told you to get the slip signed. You cannot sign it. There is no set procedure. The referral line cannot sign it either.
You Came Only to Watch
You came to an open meeting only to watch, and now watching feels rude. Nonalcoholics may attend as observers. You can sit and look. You do not owe a speech.
You Can Go to Al-Anon Without Them
You are standing by the door and their seat is empty. You can go to Al-Anon without them. They do not have to want help.
You Can Just Listen at a Meeting
You are sure you have nothing worth saying. You can sit and listen at an A.A. meeting. Introducing yourself is not mandatory.
You Can Pass When Called On
Your throat closes when the chair looks at you. You can pass. Introducing yourself is not mandatory, and listening still counts.
You Can Smell It on the Person Beside You
You can smell alcohol on the person next to you. You can stay or move chairs. Their drinking is not yours to police. If you feel unsafe, you can leave.
You Can Stay Quiet When They Start to Pray
They asked everyone to pray and you stayed quiet. You do not have to say the Serenity Prayer. Silence is allowed. You can keep your seat without joining in.
You Canceled Plans You Wanted
You canceled the plan you actually wanted because you do not trust the house. An Al-Anon meeting can be the one plan you keep tonight.
You Cannot Find the Room
You are in the right building and you cannot find the room. Check Meeting Guide again, or step outside and join a phone meeting instead of wandering.
You Cannot Hear What They Share
You cannot hear what they share and you hate to say so. An A.A. pamphlet includes members who are hearing impaired. Tell one person. No interpreter is promised.
You Cannot Say the Drug Out Loud
You cannot say the drug out loud, even to yourself. You can go to NA and listen without saying it. A desire to stop using does not require a confession.
You Cannot See the Page
You cannot see the page in front of you. An A.A. pamphlet includes visually impaired members. Daily Reflections has braille. Listen, or let the group read.
You Cannot Take the Post Down
You posted it and now it is out there. Take it down if the app still lets you. Do not add anyone else's name while you fix yours.
You Changed Your Route Home
You changed your route so you would not pass the store. The long way still thinks about it. Keep going. A meeting can be the stop that is not a purchase.
You Checked Their Location Again
You checked their location again and you are tired of playing detective. Put the phone down for one Al-Anon meeting. If you are in danger, call 911.
You Closed the Bar and You Are Still There
The customers are gone and you are still behind the bar. You can leave before you pour one for yourself. A shift does not decide the night.
You Cover Their Shift When They Drink
You cover their shift when they drink. You can stop tonight, or cover once more and still go to a meeting after you clock out.
You Covered for Them. What Now.
You covered for someone again and you feel sick. You do not have to make the next call or decide the whole marriage. A family meeting can be enough tonight.
You Deleted the Text to Their Mom
You wrote their mother and deleted it. You do not have to send that text tonight. An Al-Anon meeting can hold the secret with you.
You Did Not Wait Too Long
You are past 60, or you love someone who is, and you think the asking waited too long. A desire to stop drinking is the door, with no age cutoff.
You Do Not Have to Believe in God
You can stay when the meeting says God. You are welcome regardless of religion. Step Two is a Power greater than yourself. You need not join the prayer.
You Do Not Have to Match a Survey
Someone quoted a membership survey and you do not match it. That summary is not the door. A desire to stop drinking is what lets you sit in the room.
You Do Not Have to Say Your Job
You do not have to announce your job in the share circle. You are welcome regardless of profession. This hour is not a reporter, and your work can stay unsaid.
You Do Not Have to Say Your Name
The chair asked if anyone was new and your throat closed. Saying your name is not mandatory. Press anonymity is a different tradition.
You Do Not Have to Start a Group
Someone said real belonging means you start a group. It does not. Two or three alcoholics gathered for sobriety may already be one. You can just attend.
You Do Not Know Where Your Hands Go
You do not know where to put your hands in the meeting, and the awkwardness is loud. Put them in your lap. You are allowed to be new and listen.
You Do Not Know Whether to Clap
People are clapping and you missed the cue. You can keep your hands still. There are no dues, and the meeting is not a performance you have to pass.
You Do Not Need the Leader Guide
The listing says beginners, and you think you must lead it. A member who has been sober awhile usually leads. You do not need the leader guide tonight.
You Do Not Owe the History Shelf
Four history books are being treated like an entrance exam. You owe none of them tonight. Leave the pile closed and go to a meeting.
You Do Not Want the Group Chat
The group chat is telling you to leave, and you do not want advice. An Al-Anon meeting asks people to share their own experience, not to run your life.
You Do Not Want to Be the Alarm
You are tired of waking them for work and protecting the job. The alarm can be theirs. Al-Anon is a meeting for you tonight.
You Do Not Want to Hold Hands
They are reaching for hands at the close. You can keep yours in your lap. You do not have to join the prayer or the circle. Silence is allowed.