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…
Tag: Literature
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…
PODCAST – One Day At A Time / Detachment (Item #’s B-6 / S-19)
Episode 2 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! Why is Al-Anon not considered a self-help recovery program? How is detaching different than separating? Am I making my spirit sick? It was such a good conversation, I didn’t want to edit anything out, so I had to break it into 2…
CAL – How Al-Anon Works (Item # B-22, B-32, eB-22, eA-22)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Originally, I was going to read this book as the very last one of this blog since I was making my way up to the top seller & according to the World Service Office, this one is it. …It would be like starting a climb by already being at the top…
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. 2 (Item # B-9B)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Since I’m reading the entire discontinued “Forum Favorites” series from most recent to oldest (see my previous entries for Volume 3 (item # B-9C) & Volume 4 (item # B-9D)), this Volume 2 (item # B-9B) came as a shock because it was immediately apparent that every story was in the…
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…
CAL – Worried About Someone’s Mental Health? (Item # P-80)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet was 1 of 6 of an “Al-Anon Can Help” series that was introduced in 1995 as part of a big push for service in institutions. It was designed to invite family members & friends of alcoholics at, or in, institutions to try Al-Anon where they live. This pamphlet didn’t…
CAL – Reserve Fund Guideline (Item # G-41)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This guideline focuses on withholding money for good, healthy reasons. How different that is from my pre-Al-Anon days when I withheld money out of fear, or as punishment… 2. The most interesting part of this guideline is the list of personal questions on page 4 – especially the question about how my…
CAL – Guideline for Al-Anon Websites (Item # G-40)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. There is no such thing as “Conference Approved” text to use on Al-Anon websites, therefore it’s not necessary for all sites to use the same wording. Freedom! Whoo-hoo! Ha ha ha. 😃 2. I understand that links on an Al-Anon site to non-Al-Anon sites would give the appearance of affiliation & are to…
CAL – Area Public Outreach Coordinator (Item # G-38)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Because Areas can vary due to autonomy (just like groups), the work of an Area Public Outreach Coordinator can actually be split into various committees or job positions: PI (Public Information), CPC (Cooperating with the Professional Community), & Institutions Coordinators. I don’t know of any other Area position that does this,…
CAL – Electronic Al-Anon Meeting Guideline (Item # G-39)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. According to this guideline, there are 3 types of online Al-Anon meetings that the World Service Office (WSO) will register: chat, email, or message board. (…I guess Skype meetings haven’t caught on yet?) 2. There’s still a Seventh Tradition basket! Donations are sent directly to WSO, rather than a District or…
CAL – District Representative (Item # G-37)
WHAT I LEARNED: There’s also info in this guideline about the Alternate District Rep &, if needed, they can serve as several other positions as well such as Secretary, Treasurer, or Public Outreach contact. Whew – hopefully not all once! 😄 ━━━━━▼━━━━━ **UPDATE (5/5/17): This guideline was revised in 2014 & the changes are somewhat substantial. …
CAL – Alateen Safety Guidelines (Item # G-34)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. According to this Alateen guideline, any reporting of child abuse is done on a personal basis, not as an Alateen Sponsor or an AMIAS (an Al-Anon Member Involved in Alateen Service). This is done with Tradition 10 in mind to keep the fellowship out of public controversy! 2. Even though I’m not a certified…
CAL – Group Records Coordinator (Item # G-36)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This job seems to be a lot of checking & double-checking on the status of groups (more so than I ever thought)! And much like any of the other Coordinator positions, they’re a link between World Service Office & the Districts in the Area. What I found really interesting though is…
CAL – A Guide to Alateen Sponsorship – An Unforgettable Adventure (Item # P-86)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Here’s another instance of me sitting down to read a piece of literature & thinking “I won’t relate to anything in it” & then finding it so interesting! Topics are covered that I never even considered, such as: how to handle members with Attention Deficit Disorder, intrusive parents, reporting abuse, kids…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 