On October 6th, 2021, I got an interesting update from Al-Anon’s World Service Office’s (the WSO) newsletter “In The Loop” that mentioned: 

“We are excited to announce that we are in the process of updating the Al-Anon/Alateen Guidelines!  In addition to getting a fresh, new look, the guidelines will also reflect updated information.  A milestone for us is that this is the first time updated guidelines are being simultaneously published in three languages: English, French, and Spanish!”

It got me wondering, 🤔 “What changed exactly?” Have these been updated in 2021 because of the Covid pandemic & so much has gone virtual since March 2020?  I’ve gone back into some old posts to take a detailed look at previous versions of guidelines & how they have evolved to the present.  I found some surprises along the way & for each update/revision, I’ve included downloadable copies with the changes highlighted so you can quickly see what’s different.   Prepare yourself… it’s time to let my Al-Anon geek flag fly! 

WHAT I LEARNED: So far, I have found 7 guidelines that have been updated as of November 2021.  Click on any of the links below to find out more about each…

• The Forum Writing Guideline (item # F-1)
• Members Interesting in Speaking (item # G-1)
• Area Literature Coordinators (item # G-6)
• District Meetings (item # G-15)
• Al-Anon/Alateen Area Conventions (item # G-20)
• Guidelines for Newsletter Editors (item # G-21)
• District Representative (item # G-37)

As soon as I see another batch of revisions from the WSO for other guidelines, I’ll post another update, so stay tuned!