WHAT I LEARNED: 1. For quite some time there was confusion in the fellowship about the responsibilities, boundaries, & differences between information services, Literature Distribution Centers (LDCs), intergroups, & information service liaisons. The World Service Office responded by creating this particular guideline & a separate one titled “Literature Distribution Centers” (item # G-18). 2. Any…
Tag: Group Materials
CAL – Cooperation Between Al–Anon & AA (Item # G-3)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. In the spirit of Tradition 6, this guideline answers 11 frequently asked questions that help clarify the difference between affiliation & cooperation between the Al-Anon & AA organizations. It’s basically how not to get our chocolate mixed up with their peanut butter. …Sure the combination of flavors might taste great for some, but…
CAL – Beginners’ Meeting (Item # G-2)
WHAT I LEARNED: The 2nd page of this guideline lists CAL recommendations for each of the 6 meetings in the Beginners’ Meeting suggested series. This is great for anyone that has an Al-Anon Newcomer Packet (item # K-10) & no daily reader yet. It’s like a reading roadmap for the first 3 Steps! …Or should…
CAL – Members Interested in Speaking (Item # G-1)
WHAT I LEARNED: When I was first asked to be a speaker in 2012, I ran to get this item & it wasn’t so much as a guideline as it was a goldmine! I even used it as a checklist to make sure I had certain points covered. Re-reading it now, I see the importance…
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 – 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 – 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 – 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…
CAL – Just for Today Alateen Bookmark (Item # M-13)
WHAT I LEARNED: This is the fifth item in the Alateen Newcomer Packet (item # K-18) & it’s very different than the Al-Anon bookmark by the same name (item # M-12). The “Thank You God” prayer is a good gratitude reminder for those days when I can’t think of anything to be grateful for!
CAL – Alateen Do’s & Don’ts (Item # M-9)
WHAT I LEARNED: This is the third item in the Alateen Newcomer Packet (item # K-18) & is a great wallet-size reminder of do’s & don’ts that can apply to anyone – not just Alateen members.
CAL – Youth & the Alcoholic Parent (Item # P-21)
Last week I finished the Professional Packet (item # K-30). (What I learned about all the other items in that packet can be found in previous entries for the general Al-Anon Newcomer Packet (K-10).) …This week, I’m starting the very last packet, whew! WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This is the second pamphlet in the Alateen Newcomer Packet…
CAL – Facts about Alateen (Item # P-41)
WHAT I LEARNED: This is the sixth item in the Professional Packet (item # K-30) & is very cut & dry info about Alateen – no extra frills or sharings in this pamphlet, just the facts ma’am! I did find it interesting that while the Alateen 12 Steps are exactly the same as Al-Anon’s, some of their…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 