The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Hi, I am new here. Very happy to have found these boards. I am going to my first book meeting this week and have no idea which book they use. What can I expect? Can anyone help me out? Thanks so much.
Hello , have never heard of a book meeting so no help for you from here , I am assuming u mean an al anon meeting , if it is called a book meeting there are probably books to purchase at the meeting if not don't worry about it someone will share with you .
If you mean an AA meeting it is probably the AA Big Book . hope u like the meeting Louise
Its a book study meeting for al anon.... not sure what that means. Have been to several other meetings. But, wanted to try this one out. Thanks for any help.
There are different types of meetings (just as there are in AA). However, they all follow the Steps and Traditions of Al-Anon and apply the same principles. Sometimes the meeting schedule will tell you what kind of meeting it is.
One meeting that I go to uses the Al-Anon book, Courage to Change. It is a daily mediation book that has readings on a variety of topics. In that meeting the group goes down the index and at each meeting they read about a different topic and discuss it.
Another meeting that I have been to is a Step meeting. They study a different step each week and I think that they use any Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature such as How Al-Anon works, One Day at a Time, etc.
My home group uses a rotating format: 1st week of the month is a Step meeting; the Second week is a Tradition; the Third is a Slogan; the Fourth is Topic and when there is a Fifth Friday it is a speaker meeting.
There are also speaker meetings. A speaker meeting generally does not involve discussion. There is a speaker who shares his/her Al-Anon story (how it was before and how it is now) and sometimes they open it up for questions at the end of the talk if there is time.
The important thing to remember is that regardless of what type of meeting it is, everyone is there for the same reason--to support each other. Do not hesitate to ask before the meeting about the format. Also, if it is a discussion meeting, remember that you do not have to share--if the group goes around the group in order (as some do) just say that you pass. The important thing is that you go and listen and surround yourself with people who understand what you are going through. Hope this helps--Congratulations for taking the first step--it is hard to walk into that room for the first time, but it is worth it!!
One last thing, you may not feel like the first meeting you go to is a good fit for you--that is why the program recommends that you go to a few different meetings before you decide whether Al-Anon is for you. It took me a couple meetings before I found my home group. Don't give up if the first meeting you go to doesn't feel like it is for you.
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Do not be anxious about tomorrow; tomorrow will look after itself. The Bible, from Courage to Change, p.138
