I'd just like to add one more comment – in my first post I mentioned that a great deal of the literature that we read in my Nar-Anon groups are books that have been published by Al-Anon. That literature is the backbone of our meetings, and I've never heard anything in any of the testimonials, etc. that they contain that I found out of place in terms of my experiences, and from the reactions of other members of my groups, I believe that they would say the same.
However, one time a mother from a distant, rural part of the country (15 hours away by car) came to my group and said that although the only form of support that is within reach to her is an Al-Anon group, she was told by them that she had to seek a Nar-Anon group because her son uses other substances.
That's what led me to write my original post. There may be some very pertinent reasons why these pairs of groups are separate, but at this point I don't understand why.
It doesn't really matter very much in terms of my recovery, however. I continue learning and growing.... As I spend more time in Nar-Anon, I feel immense gratitude for what it has given to me. I am now being asked to coordinate meetings and offer other services, and I find that I want to understand more about issues like the one I introduced with my post.
Please keep contributing comments.