Lotus2009

Hi Everyone,

I was wondering if there are any AlAnon alternative support groups out there (in MI)? I have been reading about AlAnon and have attended some online meetings and can't quite connect to the HP aspect of it. I didn't grow up being religious and am really struggling with the concept of a HP - So I was wondering if there are any support groups that don't put so much emphasis on a HP?

Thanks for your help!

cmc

Hello Lotus.
You might want to try at least six face to face meetings before you decide if Al-Anon is for you. The HP issue is entirely up to you to decide on- the meetings are not about religion but on any form of spirituality that _you_ choose for yourself. In other words it's up to the individual to decide what having an HP means or doesn't mean in their own life.

There is another avenue you could also try and that is CoDA. Here's the link:
CODA - Meeting Resource Center

steve11694

Sure, research your local drug/alcohol rehab centers. They often have support group meetings for families, friends, loved ones, without the HP stuff. They stick to the scientific medical aspects and answer questions you have and explain addiction.Attendees are also free to share and get opinions from other participants.
I found these groups very helpful.

Ago

Welcome

I was also raised sans religion, Atheist actually, and my experiences with Christianity growing up were uniformly bad, when I started to attend twelve steps groups I saw the word God and tried to bolt, I was told "take what I like and leave the rest".

Now I not only still attend twelve step meetings but enjoy them.

I would also suggest attending half a dozen before making up your mind about what actually takes place in the meetings and whether you "like them" or not. If you attend you can ask around how others got around what they felt was the "religious angle". My experience mirrors that of CMC, in that I view it as a spiritual program, not religious. "Religions are for people that are afraid of going to Hell, Spirituality is for people who have already been there" is how I've heard it described.

Therapy was also incredibly helpful for me and many people here (and elsewhere obviously)

Spiritual Seeker

I believe HP to be the power of the universe.
Working the 12 steps through the fellowship of Al-anon proved beneficial beyond my wildest dreams...and I am not religious. It allowed me to understand the importance of developing a spiritual path, taking my own inventory, change, and being of service.

Lotus2009

Thank you all for your responses. I will try to look at the HP a little differently (as you have suggested). And eventually I will go to a f2f meeting... just need to get up the courage to go, I guess. I have noticed that the online meetings helped me a little, so I wasn't going to completely give up on AlAnon just because of the HP issue, but I thought that maybe I could find something just like it without the spiritual touch to it.

Thanks for the tip of looking at treatment centers, Steve. The ones I had looked at were using AlAnon's 12 step program, but maybe I just need to dig a little... I'll see what I can find!