WHAT I LEARNED: 1. In keeping with the same printing schedule as the first “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2007” that came out in September 2006, the subsequent annual edition, “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2008,” debuted in the fall of 2007. (From 2007 to 2019, the outreach magazine had only 2 print runs each year, so Al-Anon members could…
Tag: Steps
CAL – The Forum Writing Guideline (Item # F-1)
Next week I’ll be posting an update on several Al‑Anon guidelines that have been revised this year. However while I was researching those, it led me to this guideline for The Forum that was very recently updated – just last month, in October 2021, in fact! It got me wondering, 🤔 “What changed exactly?” See…
MTG – Orlando – “Courage 2 Be Me Alateen AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: The disease of alcoholism is like a bully. It wants me to have low self-worth so it can remain in control. With the Steps & my Higher Power, I can stand up & say: “Not Today!” — To see the full-size pic of this quote (and others), visit: http://www.instagram.com/calchatfan1.
MTG – Orlando – “You’re Not Alone AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: “Later… [Bill W.] expanded the number to Twelve Steps so as to be sure there were no loopholes through which a drunk could escape.” – quote from softcover version of “How Al-Anon Works” (item # B-32), page 153.
N. FL Area Convention 2018 – Days 1 – 3
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Fear is a dark room where negative emotions are exposed. 2. After I make amends, my weapons are no longer licensed. 3. The more I forget, the more I keep coming back! 4. I need to let go… of my need to know. 5. Sometimes I need to experience the consequences of…
MTG – Orlando – “Courage 2 Be Me Alateen AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: Sometimes mispronounced words makes me hear things differently – for example: A) Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unimaginable. B) Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, & to another human being the abstract nature of our wrongs.
PODCAST – Courage To Be Me / Various Alateen Literature (Item # B-23)
EPISODE 8 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! How can I keep things simple? If my growth is like a tree, then what are my roots? What Alateen book can I bring to an Al-Anon meeting? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you…
PODCAST – Reaching For Personal Freedom / Best of Public Outreach (Item #’s P-92 / P-90)
EPISODE 7 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! What do I want to be free of? What exactly are character defects? Can Alateen outreach be done to AA members? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you can subscribe to it for free wherever…
CAL – Reaching For Personal Freedom (Item # P-92)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. The guest for my next “CAL Chat” podcast show (Episode #7) chose this workbook, “Reaching for Personal Freedom” (item # P-92), as his favorite literature piece. I’ll be posting that episode soon at calchatpodcast.com, but wanted to get my review in this blog first… This workbook has the rare distinction of…
MTG – Orlando – “Courage 2 Be Me Alateen AFG”
WHAT I LEARNED: Step 2 “reminds me that only things of value get restored – Victorian homes, antique cars, & me!” – Page 369 from the softcover book: “How Al-Anon Works” (item # B-32).
PODCAST – As We Understood / How Al-Anon Works / Alateen-a day at a time (Item #’s B-11 / B-22 / B-10)
EPISODE 6 of my “CAL Chat” podcast is now available to listen to! Can I fire my Higher Power? What is a “Meeting on Wheels?” What is not allowed in recovery literature when bringing it into jails? (To hear this episode, please visit the show’s website at: calchatpodcast.com – or you can subscribe to it…
MTG – Ocoee – “Monday Miracles”
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Step 11 is about prayer AND meditation. Not prayer OR meditation. 2. Al-Anon is unrelenting love.
N. FL Area Convention 2016 – Days 1 – 3
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Sanity is having the appropriate reaction to reality. 2. When things aren’t going your way, try not having one. 3. Life is only borrowed, & one day you’ll have to give it back. 4. I don’t take Steps 10 & 11 to make me feel better, I take them to make…
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 – 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 – Ocoee – “Monday Miracles”
WHAT I LEARNED: Step 2 is an invitation to humility. …And I’ve already RSVP’d! – P.S. – See May 24th from the daily reader: “One Day at a Time” (item # B-6).
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 