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: Traditions
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 – 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 – 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 – Al-Anon’s 12 Traditions Illustrated (Item # P-60)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This pamphlet answers the age-old question, “What do principles look like?” The drawings accompany short explanations about the Traditions that originally appeared over the course of 1983 in The Forum magazine. 2. When I think of the Traditions, I usually think “Oh, they’re about unity… they’re for the group, etc…” but what…
CAL – Discovering Choices (Item # B-30)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This book almost didn’t happen. Originally, it was only supposed to be a revision to “The Dilemma of the Alcoholic Marriage” (item # B-4), but the revisions were becoming too extensive & the focus on just marital relationships was too narrow. So in 2001, concept approval was given to create this…
CAL – The Concepts-Al-Anon’s Best Kept Secret? (Item # P-57)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Whereas the Steps are about recovery, & the Traditions about unity, what the Concepts are about is in their full title: the 12 Concepts of Service. Q: What is service? A: Gratitude in action! Per “Many Voices, One Journey” (item # B-31) page 154, Lois W. presented the Concepts in 1970…
CAL – The Al-Anon Focus (Item # P-45)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Originally, in 1978, this pamphlet was called “Double Winners” but was given its current title 4 years later (with the added subtitle: “For Al-Anon/Alateen Members Who Are Also Recovering Alcoholics”) to avoid giving the impression that one member was more important than another. Although I sometimes still hear the term “Double…
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 – How Can I Help My Children? (Item # P-9)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1.“Helping” is a tricky word in this program. This pamphlet basically boils down to setting a good example & “Secure your own mask first” before assisting children (or anyone else for that matter). It’s full of tips, personal stories, a checklist for parents, Steps, Traditions, slogans, & an excerpt from the pamphlet “Dear…
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 – 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 – Alateen–Hope for Children of Alcoholics (Item # B-3)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Alateen began in 1957, but they didn’t have their first hardcover book until this one came out in 1973. Its origins were a pamphlet (which has been discontinued) & it was expanded to now have sections for Steps, Traditions, Slogans, Personal Stories, & an Alateen Timeline. 2. At 120 pages, it’s…
CAL – The Twelve Steps & Traditions (Item # P-17)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. Continuing on with my historical jaunt through the pamphlets… 1961 was a major year for Al-Anon. After being around for 10 years, they finally had their first trial Conference that year & the concept of having Conference Approved material was adopted — yet, at that time, groups were still allowed to…
CAL – Courage to Be Me – Living with Alcoholism (Item # B-23)
WHAT I LEARNED: 1. This is the first Alateen book I’ve ever read & I was not prepared! I should’ve had a box of tissues along with it – especially for the “Happy/Sad” section that begins on page 300. The simplicity & direct honesty felt like I was reading a bunch of diary entries from…
"CAL Chat" Blog ~My journey in Al-Anon~ 