WHAT I LEARNED: 1.“Helping” is a tricky word in this program. This pamphlet basically boils down to setting a good example & “Secure your own mask first” before assisting children (or anyone else for that matter). It’s full of tips, personal stories, a checklist for parents, Steps, Traditions, slogans, & an excerpt from the pamphlet “Dear…
Tag: Alcoholism
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…
** Thank you for your sympathy wishes **
This blog has been silent for the past 3 weeks because, as some of you are already aware, my boyfriend of 16 years died of a drug overdose on 11/18/13. No one was aware he was shooting up. He hid it well & didn’t reach out to anybody. And it saddens me to think that the…
CAL – In All Our Affairs: Making Crises Work For You (Item # B-15)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Right away I liked that this book is broken up into 4 parts: Awareness, Acceptance, Action, & Moving On. And for me, reading this couldn’t have come at a better time, because I was going through what I considered a crisis this past month. But after so many stories about violence,…
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 – Why Conference Approved Literature? (Item # P-35)
Before I read this pamphlet, I thought I would open it up & see the answer: “Because we said so!” Ha ha! 😄 WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Any Al-Anon/Alateen member can contribute to Conference Approved Literature (“CAL”), but it has to be something that hasn’t been published elsewhere. 2. Not all of our literature bears…
CAL – Three Views of Al-Anon (Item # P-15)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Ever since this pamphlet first came out in 1970, its original subtitle was: “from the Other Side of the Family” but around 2010, it was updated to be: “Alcoholics Speak to the Family.” The image of this “white-circle” design pamphlet with this new subtitle is one of the rarest & hardest…
CAL – Al-Anon Basic Program Wallet Card (Item # M-7)
WHAT I LEARNED: This wallet card has been around for many moons & it can’t get more “basic” than this. It’s got a Al-Anon’s preamble, all the Steps, Traditions, Concepts, & Warranties you could want, with a little bit of Serenity Prayer mixed in there as well. Typically it’s the Newcomer groups that buy these…
CAL – Al-Anon Fact File (Item # P-36)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. For the professional community of the 70’s, they would have received this “Al-Anon Fact File” (item #P-36) in a PR kit as a coated sheet. To reduce costs in 1980, it became a “self-cover” & is still a good outreach tool that explains Al-Anon’s public relations policies by paraphrasing the Traditions…
MTG – Winter Springs – “Promises for Tomorrow”
WHAT I LEARNED: A meeting is like a gift I get to open when I get there.
MTG – Winter Park – “Friday Shepherd of Serenity AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: To improve my conscious contact with my Higher Power, first I have to be conscious!
CAL – Why Anonymity in Al-Anon? (Item # P-33)
WHAT I LEARNED: This pamphlet is a mini lesson on Traditions 11 & 12 & gives examples of anonymity from different angles. …How can I tell that anonymity is one of the most important principles of this program? When it’s broken… that’s how! ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **UPDATE (11/13/13): Keep a look out for an updated version of this pamphlet…
MTG – Maitland – “Survival to Recovery”
WHAT I LEARNED: A “slip” is: Serenity Losing Its Priority.
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 – Just for Today Wallet Card (Item # M-10)
WHAT I LEARNED: This wallet card has been around since 1954 & I thought, given its small size, it would have less on it than the bookmark version (item # M-12), but it actually has more. It has 2 extra sentences – one about the Seventh Tradition & the second refers to the 10 other…
Gratitude Dinner – 10/19/13
WHAT I LEARNED: Most of my great “leaps” in service work have been with Orlando’s District 10. Speaking at their Gratitude Dinner last night was no exception & I owe them a big THANK YOU!!! The best perk that I didn’t expect: being able to start the food line (instead of being last like usual)! Ha…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 