Professionals

The Minnesota South Area (MNSA) supports Al-Anon members in the southern part of Minnesota, including the Twin Cities.

MN SOUTH AREA MEETINGS

Attend a meeting

Al-Anon Family Groups (AFG) is a community resource providing support to anyone affected by a relative or friend’s drinking.

What is Al-Anon?

Al-Anon is a mutual support group of peers who share their experience in applying the Al-Anon principles to problems related to the effects of a problem drinker in their lives. It is not group therapy and is not led by a counselor or therapist. This support network complements and supports professional treatment.

Alateen is a peer support group for teens who are struggling with the effects of someone else’s problem drinking. One in four children under age 18 in the United States is affected by a parent’s problem. Many Alateen groups meet at the same time and location as an Al-Anon group. Alateen meetings are open only to teenagers. Alateen is not a program for young people seeking sobriety.

No advance notification or written referral is necessary to attend an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting. Anyone affected by someone else’s drinking is welcome to attend.

There are no dues or fees. Groups are self-supporting and usually pass a basket around for a voluntary contribution to pay for rent or Al-Anon literature.

40%

Encourage your clients to try Al-Anon, even if they minimize the problem with alcohol. A 2015 Al-Anon membership survey shows that 40% of newcomers who came to Al-Anon because of a loved one’s drug addiction, came to better understand the seriousness of that person’s alcohol problem after attending Al-Anon for a period of time.

How can Al-Anon help?

Members can find understanding and support when they share their common experiences with each other. Many newcomers are most interested in hearing about situations and relationships that are similar to their own. Over time, however, they come to understand they can benefit from hearing how the Al-Anon principles worked in many different circumstances.

Al-Anon and Alateen members can find help by:

Attending Meetings on a regular basis
Making contact with other members
Reading Al-Anon/Alateen literature
Having a personal Sponsor
Applying the Twelve Steps of Recovery to their lives
Engaging in Al-Anon and Alateen Service Work
Fellowship

More information for Professionals from the World Service Office

New to Al-Anon?

Al-Anon is a community resource providing support to anyone affected by a relative or friend’s alcoholism. No matter what our unique experience has been we share a common bond: we feel our lives have been affected by someone else’s alcoholism.

Help

Help is available through meetings, fellowship, and sponsorship
Welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics
Practicing the Twelve Steps (link to Twelve Steps)
Giving understanding and encouragement to the alcoholic

Self-supporting

Al-Anon/Alateen is self-supporting through the voluntary contributions of members; there are no dues or fees for membership.

Al-Anon does not accept any outside funds, grants, or donations

Anonymous

Al-Anon/Alateen is self-supporting:

Through the voluntary contributions of members; there are no dues or fees for membership
Al-Anon does not accept any outside funds, grants, or donations

Al-Anon/Alateen groups do not:

Give advice
Indulge in gossip or criticism
Discuss members’ religious beliefs or lack of them
Endorse or oppose any cause, therapy, or treatment
Provide support for problems other than the impact of alcoholism on the family members

Growing up in a home where one or both parents are alcoholics can have life-altering effects on children, with long-lasting emotional and psychological scars.

Alateen has helped many others. Many other teenagers have gone through the same problems that we have, and no matter how difficult our situation is, we can build a better life for ourselves by remembering to reach out for recovery.

Alcoholism

Alcoholism affects the person who drinks and those who are close to the problem drinker.
Learning the facts about alcoholism can make it easier to accept it as a disease.
Another person’s addiction to alcohol is no reflection on us. Remember that we didn’t cause it, and cannot control or cure it.
We are not responsible for the alcoholic’s behavior.

What can I do?

It helps to talk things over with someone we trust.
Being patient with ourselves and our families is important. Alcoholism has affected us and our families for a long time, and it may take a long time to recover.
Try to improve, “One Day at a Time.”
Attend Alateen (link to Alateen meetings), Al-Anon (link to meetings), open A.A. Meetings, and download the Alateen Mobile App (https://al-anon.org/newcomers/teen-corner-alateen/alateen-electronic-meeting/)
Study the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.

How Alateen Helps

Alateen is a place where members come together to:

Share experiences, strength, and hope with each other to find effective ways to cope with problems
Discuss difficulties and encourage one another
Help each other understand the principles of the Al-Anon program through the use of the Twelve Steps and Alateen’s Twelve Traditions