Information for Professionals

We suggest that you encourage your clients to try Al-Anon, even if they minimize the problem with alcohol. The 2021 Al-Anon membership survey shows that of the 10,848 members who reported receiving treatment prior to attending Al-Anon, 41 percent were referred to the program by a professional. 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 for membership.

View the Al-Anon of District 20  Flyers for Public Outreach.

Defining Al-Anon/ Alateen

• Al-Anon
  • Is for families and friends of alcoholics
  • Is a separate fellowship from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
  • Al-Anon is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions adapted from AA
  • Is compatible with professional treatment
• Alateen
  • Is part of the Al-Anon fellowship designed for relatives and friends of alcoholics up to age 19
  • Younger members conduct their own meetings with the guidance of Alateen group sponsors
  • Follows the same Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions as Al-Anon
  • Group sponsors are certified with background checks
• Al-Anon and Alateen groups and members do not:
  • Give advice
  • Indulge in gossip or criticism
  • Discuss members’ religious beliefs, or lack of them
  • Endorse or oppose any cause, thereapy, or treatment
• Al-Anon/Alateen members are helped when they:
  • Attend meetings on a regular basis
  • Make telephone contact with other members
  • Read Al-Anon/Alateen literature
  • Have another Al-Anon/Alateen member as a sponsor
  • Apply the Twelve Steps of recovery to their lives
  • Become involved in Al-Anon/Alateen service work

Visit a meeting

Professionals may attend “open” Al-Anon meetings. An open Al-Anon meeting welcomes members and prospective members and allows attendance by people who are not families and friends of alcoholics but who are interested in learning about Al-Anon Family Groups.

Generally, Al-Anon group meetings are “closed,” limited to members and prospective members, giving them the freedom to share and listen to the experience, strength, and hope of one another on a confidential and anonymous basis..

Professionals may attend “open” Al-Anon meetings. An open Al-Anon meeting welcomes members and prospective members and allows attendance by people who are not families and friends of alcoholics but who are interested in learning about Al-Anon Family Groups.

Remember Anonymity and Confidentiality

Al-Anon is an anonymous fellowship. This means that anyone attending a meeting is asked to keep confidential the identities of individuals seen and everything shared in the meeting.

We always protect our members’ anonymity, but the Al-Anon/Alateen program is not anonymous. We encourage the spreading of information about the availability of Al-Anon/Alateen meetings.