600 guides in moments in the room
You Do Not Want to Open the Closet
You want to search the closet and you also do not. You can leave it shut for one hour and sit in an Al-Anon meeting instead.
You Do Not Want to Read Aloud
They are about to ask someone to read, and you do not want it to be you. You can pass the reading. Listening is a full way to be in the meeting.
You Do Not Want to Read It
You were going to read a step with your sponsor and you do not want to. Tell them. A meeting can still hold tonight. You can skip the performance.
You Do Not Want to Say God
They are saying God and the word sticks in your throat. You can stay quiet. A desire to stop drinking is the membership line, not a creed you recite tonight.
You Do Not Want to Visit the Unit
They are in treatment and you do not want to visit. You can skip the visit and still go to Al-Anon. You do not owe that lobby a chair.
You Dodged the Question
Your sponsor asked something direct and you changed the subject. You can call back and say the true sentence, or go to a meeting if the call is too big.
You Drink, and Someone You Love Drinks
You drink, and someone you love drinks too. A.A. is a desire to stop. Al-Anon is for their drinking. You may need both rooms tonight.
You Dumped the Liquor and They Yelled
You dumped the liquor and they yelled. If the yelling becomes violence, call 911. If you are safe enough, leave the room and find an Al-Anon meeting.
You Flinched at The God Word
Someone handed you a pamphlet with God in the title and you flinched. Ten agnostic and atheist members share how they found recovery. Put it down and go listen.
You Forgot the Page You Promised
You promised to read a page before the meeting and you did not. Go anyway. Say so if it matters, or simply listen. A missed page is not a missed membership.
You Ghosted the Tuesday Meeting
You stopped going to your Tuesday home group and you are ashamed to walk back in. You can return and listen, or you can try a different meeting.
You Got Off at the Wrong Stop
You got off at the wrong stop and the meeting has started. You can be late. You can turn around. A phone or online meeting can cover the hour.
You Have a Bus and the Meeting Runs Long
Your bus will not wait, and the meeting is still going. There is no national length. You can leave before the close and skip the talk afterward.
You Have to Hand the Child Over
The exchange is soon and you do not know what you will smell. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911. A meeting cannot rule a custody night.
You Have to Tell the Kids
They are waiting by the window and the person is not coming. Tell them a short true sentence. They did not cause it. Then get yourself to a meeting.
You Heard the Cabinet Again
You heard the cabinet again. Stay in the safer room. Al-Anon is there tonight, camera off, whether or not they want help.
You Heard Your Sponsee
You heard your sponsee share something they have not told you, or you realized the room can hear a story you thought was private. Keep it. Talk later.
You Hid the Al-Anon Listing
You looked up a meeting and cleared the history. You can go without announcing it. Their permission is not required. If hiding is about safety, call 911.
You Hid the Big Book at Home
You shoved the Big Book under the bed, into the car, or behind other books. You can go to a meeting tonight and leave it hidden.
You Joined From the Driver's Seat
You joined the meeting from a parked car. That is allowed. Stay parked. Do not drive during the meeting. If you are not safe in the car, call 911.
You Kept the Child Another Night
You did not do the handoff. The child is asleep and your phone is full of messages. If there is danger, call 911. Then get support for yourself.
You Kept the Secret at the Reunion
You kept their secret through a whole family reunion. You can put the smile down and find an Al-Anon meeting tonight, and only listen.
You Kept Your Hood Up
You kept your hood up so nobody would see your face. You can leave it up. A first name is enough if you speak. You belong in the room with the hood.
You Know and You Work Beside Them
You work beside them and you know about the drinking. You can keep quiet at work tonight and still get help. Family is not required.
You Know the Speaker From the Job
You know the speaker because you work together. An open meeting can put a coworker up front. You can listen or leave, and their name stays out of the lot.
You Know You Are Not Safe Tonight
You know you are not safe tonight. Call 911 if you are in immediate danger. If a device might be watched, call 1-800-799-SAFE or text START to 88788.
You Laughed and Then Felt Sick
You laughed at the story so nobody would look too close, and then you felt sick. An Al-Anon meeting tonight does not need the performance.
You Laughed and Then Felt Wrong
You laughed in an Al-Anon meeting and then felt disloyal. Laughter is allowed in that room. You can go back, and you do not have to explain it.
You Laughed at the Wrong Time
You laughed when the room was serious, and now you want to disappear. It was nerves. You can stay, or slip out, and still come back another night.
You Left at the Break
You left at the break and you feel stupid. Leaving is allowed. You can go back in, or go home and try a phone meeting. A desire to stop is the requirement.
You Left the Party Alone
You left the party without them and the car is too quiet. You can drive toward an Al-Anon meeting, or park and join one on your phone.
You Left Your Coat and Will Not Go Back
You left your coat and you will not go back tonight. A coat is a coat. You can still go to a different meeting, or a phone meeting, and listen.
You Let Their Tab Sit There
The check came and you did not reach for their drinks. You can leave it. Al-Anon is for you whether or not they want help.
You Lied in the Check-In
You told your sponsor you were fine, and you were not. You can tell the truth later. Tonight you can still go to a meeting and only listen.
You Lied to Their Boss This Morning
You called their boss and lied. You can stop covering tonight and sit in an Al-Anon meeting. You can listen. The group will not script your next call.
You Locked the Cabinet
You locked the liquor and left a note, and now you feel controlling. The lock is not a program. Your Al-Anon meeting still matters tonight.
You Love Them and You Locked It Up
You locked up the alcohol because you love them, and you feel cruel. Al-Anon will not grade the lock. You can listen at a meeting tonight.
You Moved Out and the Phone Still Rings
You moved out and they still call all night. You can silence the phone for the length of a meeting. If the calls are threats, call 911.
You Moved, and Tuesday Disappeared
Your old Tuesday meeting is in another town. Membership is a desire to stop drinking, not a card you carry. Look for a meeting where you live and confirm it.
You Muted Because It Was Loud
You muted because the house was loud, and now you feel absent. Mute on and camera off is a real way to attend. Listening still counts as being there.
You Need to Step Out and Feed the Baby
You need to step out and feed the baby. You can leave and come back, or go home to a phone meeting. Nobody is grading your attendance tonight.
You Own the House and Want to Announce It
You own a sober house and you want to announce the vacancies in the meeting. You can be a member and not pitch the house. The group should not become your ad.
You Paid a Bill They Promised
You paid the bill they said they had handled. You can stop negotiating with the receipt and sit in an Al-Anon meeting tonight.
You Passed, and Your Chest Is Loud
You passed when they asked if anyone wanted to share, and your chest is still loud. Passing counts. You do not owe the room a late speech.
You Posted a Face From the Meeting
You posted a photo or video from a meeting, and someone else's face is in it. Their anonymity is theirs. You can delete the post tonight.
You Poured It Down the Sink
You poured it out and now you are shaking and second-guessing. The pour can be messy. If the shaking is medical, call 911, then find a meeting and listen.
You Preach, and You Still Drink
You preach, and you still drink. The clergy pamphlet is an introduction for your role, not a ban. A desire to stop drinking is enough to sit tonight.
You Refer People, and You Drink
You send people to A.A. and you drink in secret. The professional pamphlet is about cooperation. A desire to stop drinking lets you walk in too.
You Rehearsed the Speech in the Car
You practiced what you would say, and the words died at the door. You can listen at an Al-Anon meeting tonight without giving the speech.
You Said No to the Store Run
They asked you to go buy it and you said no. The crying or the anger is loud. You can keep the no for tonight and still get help.
You Said Their Name in the Share
A full name slipped out while you were talking. You can stop. You do not have to add more names. You can still come back.
You Sat By the Exit
You chose the chair by the door on purpose. Use it if you need to leave. Leaving is allowed, and so is coming back when you can breathe again.
You Sat in A.A. and Needed Al-Anon
The shares were about stopping. Your pain is about living beside the drinking. You can leave for Al-Anon, or listen if the A.A. meeting is open.
You Sat in the Back and Felt Invisible
You sat in the back and nobody looked at you. You still belong. You can stay, say one sentence after, or skip the talking. Staying after is your choice.
You Sat in Their Open Meeting
You sat in their open A.A. meeting and felt sick. Observers may be allowed in. The room that is about you is an Al-Anon meeting.
You Sat Next to Someone You Dated
You sat down and realized the next chair was someone you used to date. You can move, or you can stay and keep the share about drinking.
You Saw Your Neighbor in the Room
Your neighbor is in the meeting. You can listen without naming the connection. You can leave. Anonymity is a practice, not a promise of secrecy.
You Skipped the Daily Call
You skipped the call you agreed to make, and now you want to hide. Call late, or go to a meeting and tell the truth. Hiding is the part that grows.
You Skipped Their Name
In the meeting you talked around the person you love and never said their name. That is allowed. You can go back and still leave it out.
You Slept with the Hallway Light On
You left the hall light on so you would hear them come in. You can rest that watch for one Al-Anon hour tonight and only listen.