Alateen is:

… a fellowship of young Al-Anon members, usually
teenagers, whose lives have been affected by someone
else’s drinking.

Purposes of Alateen

Young People Come Together To:

•  share experience, strength and hope with each
  other
• discuss their difficulties
• learn effective ways to cope with their problems
• encourage one another
• help each other understand the principles of the
  Al-Anon program

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

Sponsorship

Every Alateen group needs Al-Anon Sponsors who are a minimum of 21 years old, currently attending AlAnon meetings, are active members of Al-Anon for at least two years in addition to any time spent in Alateen, and meet their area requirements. Sponsors are an active part of the group, guiding, and sharing knowledge of our Twelve Steps and Traditions. Members of Alateen can also choose to have a personal sponsor, who can be another member of Alateen.

Where Alateens Meet

Alateen members meet in church halls, school rooms or other suitable places (many times in the same building as an Al-Anon group, but in a separate room.)

Alateen Literature

Members are encouraged to read Al-Anon and Alateen Conference Approved Literature and materials.  Written from members’ personal sharings, these recovery tools can help them deal with their problems.

The Twelve Steps

The Al-Anon/Alateen program is based on the following Twelve Steps which members discuss and apply to their own attitudes and relationships with others. This can help the Alateen member develop strength to deal with problems maturely and realistically.

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps, we tried to carry this message to others, and to practice these principles in all our affairs