Al-Anon and Alateen are self-help recovery programs for people who believe their lives may have been affected by someone else's drinking. We come together to find help and support in dealing with the effects of alcoholism on our lives. The single purpose of these programs is to help families and friends of alcoholics, whether the alcoholic is drinking or not.

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Is Al-Anon for you?

Millions of people are affected by the excessive drinking of someone close. These twenty questions are designed to help you decide whether or not Al-Anon could help.

  • Do you worry about how much someone drinks?
  • Do you have money problems because of someone else's drinking?
  • Do you tell lies to cover up for someone else's drinking?
  • Do you feel that if the drinker loved you, he or she would stop drinking to please you?
  • Do you blame the drinker's behavior on his or her companions?
  • Are plans frequently upset or canceled or meals delayed because of the drinker?
  • Do you make threats, such as "If you don't stop drinking, I'll leave you"?
  • Do you secretly try to smell the drinker's breath?
  • Are you afraid to upset someone for fear it will set off a drinking bout?
  • Have you been hurt or embarrassed by a drinker's behavior?
  • Are holidays and gatherings spoiled because of drinking?
  • Have you considered calling the police for help in fear of abuse?
  • Do you search for hidden alcohol?
  • Do you often ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking?
  • Have you refused social invitations out of fear or anxiety?
  • Do you sometimes feel like a failure when you think of the lengths you have gone to control the drinker?
  • Do you think that if the drinker stopped drinking, your other problems would be solved?
  • Do you ever threaten to hurt yourself to scare the drinker?
  • Do you feel angry, confused, or depressed most of the time?
  • Do you feel there is no one who understands your problems?

    • If you answered "yes" to some or all of the above questions, Al-Anon may help.


© 1980 Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. "Al-Anon, Is It For You?" (S-17) Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA


Did You Grow Up With a Problem Drinker?

These twenty questions can help you determine if you are still affected.

  • Do you constantly seek approval and affirmation?
  • Do you fail to recognize your accomplishments?
  • Do you fear criticism?
  • Do you overextend yourself?
  • Have you had problems with your own compulsive behavior?
  • Do you have a need for perfection?
  • Are you uneasy when your life is going smoothly, continually anticipating problems?
  • Do you feel more alive in the midst of a crisis?
  • Do you still feel responsible for others, as you did for the problem drinker in your life?
  • Do you care for others easily, yet find it difficult to care for yourself?
  • Do you isolate yourself from other people?
  • Do you respond with fear to authority figures and angry people?
  • Do you feel that individuals and society in general are taking advantage of you?
  • Do you have trouble with intimate relationships?
  • Do you confuse pity with love, as you did with the problem drinker?
  • Do you attract and/or seek people who tend to be compulsive and abusive?
  • Do you cling to relationships because you are afraid of being alone?
  • Do you mistrust your own feelings and the feelings expressed by others?
  • Do you find it difficult to identify and express your emotions?
  • Do you think parental drinking may have affected you?

    • If you answered "yes" to some or all of the above questions, Al-Anon may help.


© 1985 Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. "Did You Grow Up With A Problem Drinker?" (S-25) Reprinted with permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc., Virginia Beach, VA