Alateen is:
...a fellowship of young Al-Anon members, usually teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking.
Purposes of Alateen
Young People Come Together To:
- share experience, strength and hope with each other
- discuss their difficulties
- learn effective ways to cope with their problems
- encourage one another
- help each other understand the principles of the Al-Anon program
Alateen Members Learn
- compulsive drinking is a disease
- they can detach themselves emotionally from the drinker's problems while continuing to love the person
- they are not the cause of anyone else's drinking or behavior
- they cannot change or control anyone but themselves
- they have spiritual and intellectual resources with which to develop their own potentials, no matter what happens at home
- they can build satisfying and rewarding life experiences for themselves
Sponsorship
In order to be registered as an Alateen group, there must be at least one Alateen Group Sponsor at each meeting (some areas recommend two Sponsors) who meets their area's Alateen requirements (external Al-Anon link) and is currently certified to be of service to Alateen through their own area Alateen process. Except for an annual or bi-annual open meeting, all Alateen meetings are closed meetings; only Alateens and their Group Sponsors attend the meeting, however designated area trusted servants may occasionally attend the meetings as a resource to the group per the area's Alateen requirements (external Al-Anon link) and process. All Alateen Group Sponsors, even temporary or instant Sponsors, need to be certified through the area Al-Anon member involved in Alateen service certification process prior to serving.
Sponsors are an active part of the group, guiding and sharing knowledge on our Twelve Steps and Traditions. Members of Alateen can also choose to have a personal Sponsor, who is usually a member of Alateen. Al-Anon members who may serve as personal Sponsors to Alateens need to be certified through the area's Alateen certification process.
Where Alateens Meet
Members are encouraged to read Al-Anon and Alateen Conference Approved Literature and materials. Written from members' personal sharings, these recovery tools can help them deal with their problems.
The Twelve Steps
The Al-Anon/Alateen program is based on the following Twelve Steps which members discuss and apply to their own attitudes and relationships with others. This can help the Alateen member develop strength to deal with problems maturely and realistically.
- We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.
- Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
- Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
- Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
- Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
- Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
- Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
- Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
- Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
- Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
- Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
The Twelve Traditions of Alateen
Our group experience suggests that the unity of the Alateen Groups depends on our adherence to these Traditions:
- Our common welfare should come first; personal progress for the greatest number depends upon unity.
- For our group purpose there is but one authority - a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience. Our leaders are but trusted servants; they do not govern.
- The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend. The teenage relatives of alcoholics when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Alateen Group provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.
- Each group should be autonomous, except in matters affecting other Alateen and Al-Anon Family Groups or AA as a whole.
- Each Alateen Group has but one purpose: to help other teenagers of alcoholics. We do this by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves and by encouraging and understanding the members of our immediate families.
- Alateens, being part of Al-Anon Family Groups, ought never endorse, finance or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest problems of money, property and prestige divert us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a separate entity, we should always cooperate with Alcoholics Anonymous.
- Every group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions.
- Alateen Twelfth-Step work should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers.
- Our groups, as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve.
- The Alateen Groups have no opinion on outside issues; hence our name ought never be drawn into public controversy.
- Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, films, and TV. We need guard with special care the anonymity of all AA members.
- Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our Traditions, ever reminding us to place principles above personalities.
Referral Or Information
To contact the nearest Al-Anon or Alateen Group, call the local Al-Anon information service listed in your phone book, or 1-888-4Al-Anon for the United States and Canada. Or write:
Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.
1600 Corporate Landing Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617
Phone: (757) 563-1600
www.al-anon.alateen.org (external Al-Anon link)
Alateen, part of the Al-Anon Family Groups (external Al-Anon link), is a fellowship of young people whose lives have been affected by alcoholism in a family member or close friend. We help each other by sharing our experience, strength and hope.
We believe alcoholism is a family disease because it affects all members emotionally and sometimes physically. Although we cannot change or control our parents, we can detach from their problems while continuing to love them.
We do not discuss religion or become involved with any outside organizations. Our sole topic is the solution of our problems. We are always careful to protect each other's anonymity as well as that of all Al-Anon and AA members.
By applying the Twelve Steps to ourseves, we begin to grow mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We will always be grateful to Alateen for giving us a wonderful, healthy program to live by and enjoy.
Alateen Suggested Preamble to the Twelve Steps
Acknowledgement
All rights reserved.
Copyright © Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. 1969
1600 Corporate Landing Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617
Phone: (757) 563-1600 Fax: (757) 563-1655
http://www.al-anon.alateen.org (external Al-Anon link)
E-mail: wso@al-anon.org (external Al-Anon link)