WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This booklet came out in 1995 is the 6th (& last) one in the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series. Originally planned as a 9-part series, the 6th piece was supposed to be about the 12 Steps & Traditions but the material eventually ended up in the larger book, “Courage to Be Me” (item…
Tag: Alateen Literature
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Higher Power (Item # P-72)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. It’s a shame this item was discontinued in 2000 because it’s my favorite of all the booklets in the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series. Many of the sharings liken a Higher Power to a friend that’s always there. Where there was once isolation, loneliness, & fear, there’s now constant comfort, confidence, & peace….
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Sponsoring an Alateen Group (Item # P-71)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Since it’s part of the “Alateen Talks Back On…” series, I thought this booklet was going to be Alateens talking about their group sponsors, but nope! …Other than a few drawings from kids here & there, it’s basically a piece by & for grown-up Al-Anon members sharing about Alateen service. I’m…
CAL – Starting an Alateen Group (Item # G-19)
WHAT I LEARNED: There are only 2 types of Alateen meetings: Closed & Limited Access. Even I, as Literature Chairperson at the District Level, cannot attend an Alateen meeting. Only Al‑Anon members involved in Alateen Service (AMIAS’s) & designated Area trusted servants can go & even then, it’s only on an occasional basis. The only non-certified attendees allowed are the kids…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Slogans (Item # P-70)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Slogans are reminders of choices. 2. I have 2 favorite lines from this booklet (that I almost forget was written by Alateen members because it was so wise!): From page 26: “I am happy today because: I have today to be happy in.” From page 23: “As I search with courage…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Serenity (Item # P-69)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Ahhh, put on some soothing music & light a candle because today I read about Serenity (and yes, that’s with a capital “S”)! At the end of this booklet are ten questions for meeting topics on Serenity & the last one, “Is Serenity contagious?” really made me think. I know I’ve…
CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Acceptance (Item # P-68)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. If you want to see any poetry in Al-Anon, Alateen is the only place you’ll find it published. Specifically, in a series of booklets called “Alateen Talks Back On…” that are compilations of prose, poetry, drawings, & sharings previously submitted to the Alateen Talk (no item #) newsletter. 2. Acceptance is many things,…
CAL – Al-Anon/Alateen Participation in an AA Area Convention (Item # G-7)
WHAT I LEARNED: Because Al-Anon is self-supporting, contributions from AA are considered “outside” & are therefore declined (see Tradition 7). In the case of AA Conventions where there is Al-Anon participation, AA is entitled to keep all monies from Al-Anon registrations, meals, & workshops. However, there is a little note in this guideline that Al-Anon…
CAL – Alateen Meetings in Schools (Item # G-5)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. I thought there were only 2 general meeting types, open or closed. However, there is a third: limited access meetings, which is what Alateen meetings often are when they’re held in a school. 2. Schools are required by law to report certain types of abuse, so I’ve often wondered how a meeting can…
CAL – Alateen’s 4th Step Inventory (Item # P-64)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This 4th Step workbook focuses on 6 key areas: Attitudes, Self-Esteem, Love, Responsibility, Feelings, & Relationships. Each section has 4-5 sharings, 2 cartoons, 8 questions, & best of all, pages to draw! I can’t remember the last time I drew what my feelings looked like… (I probably used a lot of…
CAL – Moving On! From Alateen to Al-Anon (Item # P-59)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This is my lowest selling pamphlet. Since December 2011, I’ve only sold a grand total of 1 — & that was at a Gratitude Dinner. So here again I thought “Why do I need to read this? …No one else is!” And once again, now after having read it, I feel…
CAL – Alateen Program Wallet Card (Item # M-18)
WHAT I LEARNED: Somehow, when I was reviewing the Alateen Newcomer Packet (item # K-18), I must not have seen this small wallet card. But since I’m now going through the literature chronologically, I saw this item mentioned as an “Alateen 12 x 12 Wallet Card with Preamble” on page 13 in the “1978 World…
CAL – 12 Steps & 12 Traditions for Alateen (Item # P-18)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. At 48 pages, this is the longest pamphlet in the CAL catalog because it’s filled with a little info about each Step & Tradition followed by several related questions & personal stories from Alateen members. The reflections share quite a bit about when good Traditions go bad, so for someone like…
CAL – Alateen-a day at a time (Item # B-10)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. As of this year, 2013, this book has been around for 30 years! It’s Alateen’s first daily reader & is very different than Alateen’s second daily reader “Living Today in Alateen” (item # B-26). It seems it is for older teens because there are no pictures, drawings, or even quotes from…
CAL – Just For Today Alateen Wallet Card (Item # M-11)
WHAT I LEARNED: This wallet card came out 15 years after Alateen was started – when they hit the 1,000 groups milestone. It’s similar to the “Just for Today” Alateen bookmark version (item # M-13), with the exception of one word at the end of the “Thank You God” prayer: Amen. I rarely ever hear this…
CAL – A Guide for Sponsors of Alateen Groups (Item # P-29)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Alateen started in 1957 – did I mention that already? Well, according to the Conference Summaries from the early 60’s, Al-Anon was going through the same issues that it’s still having… the need for more Alateen group sponsors. But back then, they had so few, that outsiders & AA members were…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 