I went to Alanon with a lot of misgivings. Being an academic, I thought "What can Alanon possibly offer me that I don't already know from both my professional *and* personal life experiences?" I am learning to be a better human being in general. I find, for me, that it isn't about the addict/alcoholic, but about how I live my life. Granted, my RAH is in recovery so I don't live with an active A anymore. I can not & will not live in active alcoholism/addiction any more. However, it helps me in all aspects of interpersonal relationships. Alanon has taught me to be less judgemental. Like anything, Alanon is what you make it. If it works for you, awesome. If not, there are other paths to recovery as well.