Last evening, I attended an Al‑Anon speaker meeting. The speaker was a longtime member. She spoke for about twenty minutes, and then asked if people would like to share or ask her questions. One of those questions was, “What brought you to Al‑Anon?”

I attended my first Al‑Anon meeting during a time of separation from my spouse. I was anxious and fearful, wanting out of the marriage, yet desperately afraid my husband would find a new woman and abandon me. I knew I was ruining the lives of three wonderful children, and I hated myself for this. My life felt like a repetition of what had happened to me as a child growing up in an alcoholic home.

When I first came to Al‑Anon, I felt as though I had finally found a group of people who really understood my struggle. It was such a relief to know they understood my emotional language, not just intellectually, but experientially as well. I felt heard, and never judged. I was encouraged to begin working the Steps and find a Sponsor. It was a great place to start. I felt I had a strong relationship with my Higher Power, and as I began working Step One, that miracle of getting the guidance I needed came to me one day. My daughter, who desperately wanted to come home to live with me after treatment, simply did not understand why my answer was “no.”