CAL – Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual 2014-2017 (Item # P-24/27)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Originally, I only read the “Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual” on an as-needed basis, but when my next podcast guest said that this was her favorite book that she wanted to talk about on my “CAL Chat” show, I had to dust off my manual & put on my scuba reading mask to…

CAL – Forum Favorites, Vol. 1 (Item # B-9A)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. As an Area Archivist once said, “I love my position because I get to time travel.”  I too feel I get to step into the ‘Wayback Machine’ whenever I read discontinued Al-Anon literature.  When this “Forum Favorites” book was first published in 1970 it was a hefty hard cover book &…

CAL – Forum Favorites, Vol. 3 (Item # B-9C)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. After I became the North Florida Area Literature Coordinator in 2015, I was “bequeathed” a lot of CAL & some were discontinued pieces.  Whoo-hoo!  So I’m slowly making my way through them & decided to start by reading the entire “Forum Favorites” series from most recent to oldest.  (See my previous…

MTG – Kissimmee – “Kissimmee Tuesday Nite AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. For a long time, I was stark raving sober! 2. “…there is more to life than increasing its speed.  Let me look upward into the towering oak & know that it grew great & strong because it grew slowly & well.” – Orin L. Crain quote from “Courage to Change” (item #…

CAL – Alateen Talks Back on: Detachment (Item # P-73)

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…

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 – Living With Sobriety (Item # P-49)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. The subtitle of this booklet is “Another Beginning” not, as I had hoped, “My Happy Ending!”  At only 52 pages, it’s a quick read & covers topics such as: Accepting Changes, Courage, Resentments, Disappointments, Communication, & Happiness.  (I especially like that the topics of Love & Sex are under the Communication…

CAL – Many Voices, One Journey (Item # B-31)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Initially, I was dreading reading this book.  I thought it was just going to be a boring history book with a litany of dates & facts that were as dry as sandpaper.  Turns out, this has been one of the best well-written books I’ve come across so far!!   It was designed…

CAL – How Can I Help My Children? (Item # P-9)

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…

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…