Like everyone else I know in Al-Anon, I’m working on myself. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been doing so since I started in 1998. It doesn’t matter how many service positions I’ve held in the group, in the District, and in the Area. I may have had more experiences in my recovery than some, learned a lot through service, and had more opportunities because of those experiences to grow in my recovery, but that sure doesn’t make me an expert! Not on Al-Anon, and certainly not on anyone else’s recovery journey. But my service has given me a lot of opportunity to read, to think, to talk to other Al-Anon members, to think some more, to meet lots of other people in the program, and to put the Steps, Traditions, and Concepts into action. It has also allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone while remaining in the “safety zone” of Al-Anon.
I have learned how to say “yes,” and I have learned how to say “no” when need be. I still sometimes feel like that newcomer I was 26 years ago, but when I listen to actual newcomers share, it reminds me just how far I’ve come and allows me to encourage all those newcomers that the program does indeed work if you work it. I know from my own experience.
By Judy M., Illinois
Reprinted with permission of The Forum, Al Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA.