A fellowship of
kids, usually teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone's else's drinking. Alateen is a safe place where
kids can come together to share and recover from the effects of living with the problem drinking of a relative or
friend.
The only requirement of membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or
friend.
Alateen's program of recovery is adapted from Alcoholics
Anonymous (
AA) and is based upon the Twelve Steps, Twelve Traditions, and the Twelve Concepts of Service. It is not a religious organization, though some groups
may meet in churches.
What Alateen members learn:
*compulsive drinking is a disease.
*they can detach themselves emotionally from the drinker's problems while continuing to love the person.
*they are not the cause of anyone else's drinking or behavior.
*they cannot change or control anyone but themselves.
*they have spiritual and intellectual resources with which to develop their own potentials, no matter what happens at home.
*they can build satisfying and rewarding life experiences for themselves.
At first John was unsure when his
friend Jim asked him to come to the Alateen meeting, thinking it was a relgious
cult. What John found there, however, were other teenagers whom he could relate to. Not all of them listened to the same
music, but he found he could relate to what they were going through and he found tools to deal with living with an alcoholic. After several meetings he began to feel less alone.
