22 February 2015

Recovery Books for Teens

There are many good groups to help teens and younger children through the issues of family alcoholism and addiction. My kids both attended a younger Alateen group, sometimes called Alatots. They both were very nervous at that first meeting, but as soon as they left the room, they both said they wanted to go back. There are no parents allowed in the room, so kids are able to say whatever they need to.  

Again, since I tend to read and read and read about issues, trying to solve the problem, I bought one of the Alateen books, a daily reader. It's the Alateen version of One Day at a Time. 

There are certainly others books available online here: http://www.al-anon.org/alateen-literature. But this one provided a quick lesson each day that they could take turns reading to or from the short drive to school.


My kids really enjoyed the Alateen meetings. They were given a chance to be in charge of the meeting at various times. Just like Al-Anon, the meetings are run by volunteers, so in the case of the Alateen group, the children took turns each week leading the Serenity Prayer or leading games or readings. They really liked having the opportunity to meet other kids their ages who were experiencing similar issues. 

They learned very quickly that none of the issues they were experiencing had anything to do with them. They also learned to express their feelings rather than leaving them bottled up inside until they either cried or screamed. These Alateen meetings were critical for the health and well-being during a very turbulent time.

Spread Your Wings!



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