[MajestyJo]

How can a sponsor work with an alcoholics family?

The sponsor can explain the A.A. program to a wife, husband, or relative, and point out that most members have found it easier to five a fife without alcohol when their relatives took an interest in A.A., became familiar with A.A. literature, and attended open meetings of a local group.

The family can be told that the alcoholic needs sympathy and understanding, particularly during the first days of sobriety - but is not entitled to be babied or pampered simply because he or she is living normally for perhaps the first time in adult life. Nor should the alcoholic be treated as a hero or heroine for not drinking.

In general, the sponsor can help the alcoholic's family give the newcomer every chance to make good in A.A. and can urge the family not to expect too much, too soon, from the recovering alcoholic.

In some cases, marital and other family relationships have slipped seriously as a result of the alcoholic's behavior while drinking. The sponsor should not act like a professional marriage counselor in such situations. However, many threatened marriages have been saved once the primary problem of alcoholism has been brought under control, and the sponsor can point this out.

The sponsor will also want the family to know about Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen, made up of relatives and friends of alcoholics - alcoholics who may or may not be in A.A.

The Al-Anon program parallels A.A.'s but Al-Anon is an entirely separate fellowship. It helps relatives of problem drinkers to understand the illness and its effect on family life. In Alateen - a part of Al-Anon - teenagers who have alcoholic parents share their own experiences. Local groups of Al-Anon and Alateen meet regularly in many communities, where an Al-Anon listing often appears in the phone book.

Al-Anon literature and meeting information may be requested by writing to 1600 Corporate Landing Pkwy., Virginia Beach, VA 23454-5617.

To be continued...