Endigar 1015
From Courage to Change of Sep 01:
After taking a good look within itself, our very small home group discovered we had gotten into a rut without realizing it. It had been a long time since we’d had new members, new input. And all of our meetings, which were either round-table discussions, or based solely on the One Day at a Time in Al-Anon book, seemed to cover the same ground with little change.
We took a group conscience and decided to try some meetings using other Al-Anon literature. We began a series of speaker exchanges with other local groups. It was not long before things began improving. Our membership tripled within a year. We soon had so many newcomers that we set up a series of beginners meetings as an extension of our group. Each of us has personally benefited because of our willingness to take an inventory as a group.
Today’s Reminder
Each group, like each individual, goes through changes. But we don’t have to face those changes alone. The Second Tradition reminds us that a loving God expresses himself through our group conscience. When each of us is willing to grow, we all benefit.
“There is a comfortable feeling in knowing that guidance for the group comes not through individuals, but from the willingness of the group to follow whatever wisdom may be expressed through the membership.” – Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism
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“Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism” is a public outreach publication distributed by Al-Anon Family Groups. It’s not core program literature like How Al-Anon Works or One Day at a Time, but instead functions as an introductory and informational magazine. Here’s what you might want to know about it:
Purpose and Audience
- Outreach Tool: It’s specifically designed to introduce non-members—especially professionals, newcomers, and the general public—to Al-Anon’s message of hope for families and friends of alcoholics.
- First Encounter: For many people, this booklet is their first contact with Al-Anon literature. It helps explain what Al-Anon is (and is not), what the program offers, and how it differs from therapy or religious counseling.
Content and Structure
- Real Member Stories: It often features short personal stories from members describing how they were affected by someone else’s drinking and how Al-Anon helped.
- Basic Program Info: It includes explanations of the 12 Steps, what to expect at a meeting, and the foundational concept that Al-Anon is for the families and friends of alcoholics—not the drinkers themselves.
- Clarifying Misconceptions: Many editions address common misunderstandings, like:
- “I don’t belong in Al-Anon—they are the ones with the problem.”
- “I didn’t grow up in an alcoholic home, so this doesn’t apply to me.”
There comes a time—both in my personal walk and in group life—when the stillness is no longer serenity but stagnation.
At first, sameness can feel like safety. Familiar readings, familiar faces, familiar phrases: they comfort me when the world feels uncertain. But over time, if I’m not careful, comfort becomes complacency. And the soil of recovery—once so rich with willingness—can begin to harden beneath the surface.
Inventory is not just for individuals. Just as I take a personal moral inventory in Step Four and revisit it often through Steps Ten and Eleven, so too can a group pause and ask: Are we growing, or simply repeating? Are we thriving, or just surviving?
“For our group purpose there is but one authority—a loving God as He may express Himself in our group conscience.” That phrase means we don’t lead with ego, nor do we follow passivly. We come together, each voice a thread, to weave something larger than the sum of us.
So today I ask myself:
- Has my recovery fallen into a rut disguised as routine?
- Am I open to letting new perspectives shake loose what no longer serves?
- And when the group shifts, do I fear it—or do I listen for the God of our understanding whispering in the change?
A spiritually awake group, like a spiritually awake soul, makes room for new growth—even when it means stepping outside the comfortable repetition of yesterday’s answers.
Daily Reprieve 
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