CAL – Al-Anon’s Best Sellers of 2021

WHAT I LEARNED: A few weeks ago I recently received my hardcopy of the new “2022 World Service Conference Summary” (item # P-46).  Pasted below are images from pages 80-81 that show some stats for 2021’s best selling Al-Anon books, booklets, and the “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2021” (item # N/A) outreach magazine.  It’s surprising that…

CAL – Sexual Intimacy & the Alcoholic Relationship (Item # P-77)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Well surprise, surprise, this is not an instruction booklet on how to have sex with an alcoholic!  However, it does reassure me that I’m not the only one who has had difficulty in this area.  Intimacy, especially sexual intimacy, is a topic rarely brought up in Al-Anon meetings.  This must have…

MTG – Winter Park – “Serenity AFG”

WHAT I LEARNED: It’s been a while since I chaired a meeting & today I chose the dreaded topic of intimacy!  I know how to be in a dysfunctional relationship, but I think I would be spectacularly uncomfortable in a healthy one… primarily because I would be forced to grow.  Ultimately though, I have two choices:…

CAL – Anonymity (Item # P-65)

WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet came out in 1991 & was included in a media kit for outreach purposes. It mentions confidentiality & I started thinking of how that was different than anonymity.  Confidentiality implies trust (confidence) & indicates intimacy.  It’s how we relate to one another on a personal, private level.  It’s our…

CAL – Just for Today Bookmark (Item # M-12)

WHAT I LEARNED: This is the ninth item in the general Al-Anon Newcomer Packet (item # K-10) & I must admit, I have a favorite side of this bookmark – it’s the one with the St Francis prayer on it.  So it’s been a long time since I actually turned it over to read the other side…