Summary: Spencer, Ruth, and Wendy talk about Tradition 3, which states “The relatives of alcoholics, when gathered together for mutual aid, may call themselves an Al-Anon Family Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.”<br> <br> Ruth contributed her reading of Tradition 3 in German: "Wenn sich Angehörige von Alkoholikern zu gegenseitiger Hilfe versammeln, können sie sich Al-Anon Familiengruppe nennen, vorausgesetzt, dass sie - als Gruppe - keine andere Bindung haben. Die einzige Voraussetzung für die Zugehörigkeit ist, dass bei einem Angehörigen oder Freund ein Alkoholproblem besteht." (From http://www.al-anon.de/grund/programm/12traditionen.htm)<br> <br> Ruth and Spencer talked by Skype, and we then added her contributions into the conversation with Wendy. We used these questions to guide our discussions:<br> <br> How do you interpret the word “relatives” in this tradition?<br> What about “alcoholic” and “alcoholism”?<br> Does your loved one have to admit they are alcoholic before you qualify for Al-Anon?<br> What if the alcoholic is no longer present in your life?<br> Do you think this tradition is intended to be inclusive or exclusive? Or maybe some of both?<br> How do you feel about including members whose loved ones are addicts to another drug or behavior?<br> Can alcoholics and addicts qualify?<br> How do we welcome them and keep the focus on Al-Anon at the same time?<br> What does this tradition suggest about how our groups function?<br> Welcoming new members?<br> Keeping focus on Al-Anon?<br> Who gets to decide whether someone is qualified to attend Al-Anon?<br> Can we read this tradition to say “we don’t judge motives”?<br> How can I use this tradition in my personal life?<br> How can I use it at work?<br> How can I use it in relationships?
