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…
Tag: Service
** 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 – 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 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…
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…
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…
MTG – Deland – “New Hope Al-Anon Adult Children AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: I love going to a meeting & I’m given a suggestion for a new piece of literature that I can pass onto World Service. Every member has a voice!
MTG – Orlando – “TLC AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: Service work is what keeps my boat anchored while I ride out the rocky seas of change.
CAL – Having Had a Spiritual Awakening… (Item # B-25, eB-25)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This is Al-Anon’s first e-book (item # eB-25) that came out recently, but I don’t own an e-reader, so I had to check-out the discontinued hardcover book from our District’s Archivist. We have so few books with pictures & this one does – but they’re all in black & white. The e-reader…
CAL – Al-Anon, You, & the Alcoholic (Item # P-2)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet first came out in 1965 & is filled with 22 frequently asked questions & after reading it, I think it could definitely be used for outreach purposes – even though it’s not categorized that way on the World Service Office (WSO) website. 2. This is the first pamphlet where…
CAL – Alcoholism, a Merry-Go-Round Named Denial (Item # P-3)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. How great would it be to give a talk at an Al-Anon workshop & it goes over so well, they want to turn it into a pamphlet?! 😲 Well that’s what happened in 1968 to one non-member: the former director of the Charlotte Council on Alcoholism. This pamphlet was published a…
MTG – Casselberry – “Recovery Through the Steps AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: In any service position I take, I become a Trusted Servant. Even if it is just a small task, I am serving a need, as well as others around me, & the will of my Higher Power too!
CAL – Alcoholism, the Family Disease (Item # P-4)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet is another example of outside literature being “grandfathered” in. A big “Thanks!” goes out to a non-member, Harold Black, & the initial Kentucky & Arizona groups for their contribution to this one. Per “Many Voices, One Journey” (item # B-31) (pages 58 & 104), an early booklet version was…
CAL – Freedom from Despair (Item # P-6)
Last week I finished the Alateen Newcomer Packet (item # K-18). That means I’m done with all 6 types of packets (whoo-hoo!) & I’m moving on with other pamphlets. It seems going back to the beginning is a good place to start… 1. According to page 88 of the (discontinued) book “First Steps: Al-Anon–35 Years of Beginnings” (item…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 