Alanon
Supporting Serenity - Alanon
For people who have family or friends who may be having a problem with alcohol use, or substance use, I often recommend the support of Alanon Family Groups, a peer support organization. The following is a description of Alanon published by the program itself:
For those who are not familiar with Alanon, Alanon is a 12 step program which was an outgrowth of Alcoholics Anonymous. Alanon is a program for friends and family members whose lives have been affected by someone’s drinking. In most Marin groups, this definition is informally expanded to include substance abuse, mental illness, or other issues that cause stress and evoke.
Alanon is not for everyone, but it is a wonderful source of understanding and support. Alanon offers an opportunity to make changes in one’s own patterns of behaving in response to a family member whose behaviors may be challenging. It is easy to shift the blame to others, particularly when one is surrounded by the chaos that is symptomatic of the disease of alcoholism and addiction. Alanon is a tool I nearly always suggest for family members of individuals with substance abuse or alcohol abuse problems.
As I have often remarked to clients who are active in Alanon, it makes my work so much easier, as the tools of Alanon help you to keep the focus on yourself. It is then much easier to see where, and how changes may be made.
Al-Anon meetings are a helpful tool to help your clients recover their own sense of self…Al-Anon helps individuals find healthy ways to take care of themselves—not everyone else.
The Reverend Linda Varin, R.C.C.
Registered Clinical Counselor in private practice and a Reverend at St. Hilda’s Anglican Church
Sechelt, British Columbia
From http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/al-anon-meetings-are-a-helpful-tool
You may go to the Alanon website at: http://www.al-anon.alateen.org/home.
For information on local (Marin) meetings go to: www.marinalanon.org/
Please note, that this information about Alanon is not meant to imply that my work is in any way endorsed by or a part of Alanon. Alanon is a tool I have personally found helpful, and a tool I find is helpful to many of my clients. Alanon traditions suggest that Alanon Family Groups never endorse, finance or lend the Alanon name to any outside enterprise.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)
AA is a program many alcoholics (and now also some substance abusers) have found helpful in their recovery. It is not the only way to get sober, but it is a reliable, and international, and free way to get help. The following is a description from AA:
INFORMATION ON A.A.
Alcoholics Anonymous® is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions. AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes. Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety. Copyright © by The A.A. Grapevine, Inc.
For more information, you may go to http://www.AA.org
To find a meeting in Marin, you may go to
http://www.aasf.org/meetingsBrowse.cfm?getRegion=marin&getTimeCode=N
Please note, that this information about AA is not meant to imply that my work is in any way endorsed by or a part of AA. AA is a tool I have personally found helpful, and a tool I find is helpful to many of my clients. AA traditions suggest that AA never endorse, finance or lend the AA name to any outside enterprise.
Marijuana Anonymous
Marijuana Anonymous
Believe it or not, there are actually users of Marijuana who want to stop. Marijuana can become a significant problem for some individuals, and evidence shows it is, like alcohol and many other drugs, addicting. There is a 12 step program for those who want or need support stopping their marijuana use. The following is from the MA website:
Preamble
Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using marijuana. There are no dues or fees for membership. We are self-supporting through our own contributions. MA is not affiliated with any religious or secular institution or organization and has no opinion on any outside controversies or causes. Our primary purpose is to stay free of marijuana and to help the marijuana addict who still suffers achieve the same freedom. We can do this by practicing our suggested twelve steps of recovery and by being guided as a group by our twelve traditions.
Marijuana Anonymous uses the basic 12 Steps of Recovery founded by Alcoholics Anonymous, because it has been proven that the 12 Step Recovery program works!
Who is a marijuana addict?
We who are marijuana addicts know the answer to this question. Marijuana controls our lives! We lose interest in all else; our dreams go up in smoke. Ours is a progressive illness often leading us to addictions to other drugs, including alcohol. Our lives, our thinking, and our desires center around marijuana - scoring it, dealing it, and finding ways to stay high.
For information you may go to https://www.marijuana-anonymous.org/
For information about meeting in Marin and San Francisco, you may go to http://www.madistrict12.org/
Please note, that this information about Marijuana Anonymous is not meant to imply that my work is in any way endorsed by or a part of MA. Marijuana Anonymous is a program I have personally found helpful, and one that I find is helpful to some of my clients. MA traditions suggest that Mariijuana Anonymous Groups never endorse, finance or lend the MA name to any outside enterprise.
Narcotics Anonymous
For those who have an problem with abuse of substances, Narcotics Anonymous (NA) can be an invaluable support in becoming and remaining sober. The following information is from the NA website:
Narcotics Anonymous is a global, community-based organization with a multi-lingual and multicultural membership. NA was founded in 1953, and our membership growth was minimal during our initial twenty years as an organization. Since the publication of our Basic Text in 1983, the number of members and meetings has increased dramatically. Today, NA members hold more than 61,000 meetings weekly in 129 countries. We offer recovery from the effects of addiction through working a twelve-step program, including regular attendance at group meetings. The group atmosphere provides help from peers and offers an ongoing support network for addicts who wish to pursue and maintain a drug-free lifestyle. Our name, Narcotics Anonymous, is not meant to imply a focus on any particular drug; NA’s approach makes no distinction between drugs including alcohol. Membership is free, and we have no affiliation with any organizations outside of NA including governments, religions, law enforcement groups, or medical and psychiatric associations. Through all of our service efforts and our cooperation with others seeking to help addicts, we strive to reach a day when every addict in the world has an opportunity to experience our message of recovery in his or her own language and culture.
For information about NA, you may go to http://www.na.org/?ID=PR-index
For local information about NA you may go to http://www.norcalna.org/na_meetings.php
Please note, that this information about NA is not meant to imply that my work is in any way endorsed by or a part of NA. NAis a tool I find is helpful to some of my clients. NA traditions suggest that NA groups never endorse, finance or lend the Alanon name to any outside enterprise.