Is Al-Anon For Me?

Millions of people are affected by the excessive drinking of someone close to them. The following questions may help you determine if Al-Anon is for you.

DID YOU GROW UP WITH A PROBLEM DRINKER?

  • 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 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/or abusive?
  • Do you cling to relationships because you are a afraid of being alone?
  • Do you often mistrust your own feelings and the feelings of others?
  • Do you find it difficult to express your emotions?
  • Do you think someone’s drinking may have affected you?

ARE YOU TROUBLED BY SOMEONE’S DRINKING?

  • Do you worry about how much someone else 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 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 in order 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?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, Al-Anon or Alateen may be able to help. Find a meeting now

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