March 2016 Special Alateen Issue CONNECTICUT ARELifelineA 7 NEWSLETTER FOR AL-ANON & ALATEEN • Terryville Thursday Morning Family Group CT AFG Convention Thursday, April 21, 2016 9:30 a.m. Coffee; 10:00 a.m. Speakers. Lunch and raffle to follow 50th Anniversary “Miracles in Motion” Sign up Terryville Congregational Church April 1–3, 2016 (Friday–Sunday) for your miracle 233 Main St., Terryville Radisson Hotel, 100 Berlin Road, Cromwell • Milford Monday Night “Parents of” Meeting (formerly called the Crowne Plaza Hotel) TOd Ay! Monday, April 25, 2016 With Al-Anon, Alateen and AA participation. 6:30 p.m. Potluck; 7:30 p.m. Speakers followed by raffle To register for the convention: 28th Anniversary Meeting • Go to www.ctalanon.org, click on the Convention webpage United Church of Christ — Plymouth building • Download and print the pre-registration form 18 West Main St., Milford • Mail form and payment to CT AFG Convention, PO Box 2122, Branford CT 06405 • rocky Hill Friday Night AFG Friday, April 29, 2016 • No computer access? Ask your GR for a registration form. 6:30 p.m. Potluck; 7:30 p.m. Speakers; 9:00 p.m. raffle • Pre-registration deadline for the convention is March 16. St. James Roman Catholic Church Walk-ins welcome 767 Elm St., Rocky Hill To make a hotel reservation: Please no nuts in the potluck • By phone: call the hotel at (860) 635-2000 • Or go online to www.radisson.com/ctafgcon16 use Convention code “1603AFGCON” for a discounted room rate. May Anniversary Meeting Questions or to volunteer: [email protected]. • Portland Second Chance AFG Meeting Sunday, May 15, 2016 7:00 p.m. Fellowship, finger foods; 7:30 p.m. Speakers, raffle. March Anniversary Meetings Anniversary meeting • Waterbury’s Saturday Morning Meeting First Congregational Church Saturday, March 12, 2016 554 Main St., Portland, CT (Snow date: Saturday, March 19, 2016) 10:00 a.m. Coffee “and”; 10:30 a.m. Speakers. Lunch to follow. 42nd Anniversary Meetings that moved Bunker Hill Congregational Church • The Central Village Tuesday 1:00 p.m. Meeting 274 Bunker Hill Ave., Waterbury NEW LOCATION: • Wallingford Al-Anon Friday 10 a.m. Group St. Mary’s Church Friday, March 25, 2016 34 North Main St., Jewett City 10:00 a.m. – Noon; Speakers, food, raffle, babysitting available In the Parish Center across from the church 22nd Anniversary • St. Andrew Colchester AFG meeting First United Methodist Church As of March 21, 2016 941 Old Rock Hill Road, Wallingford NEW LOCATION: Colchester Town Hall, Rm. 3 April Anniversary Meetings 127 Norwich Ave., (across the street from St. Andrew) • Light Through Change NEW TIME: Mondays, 6:00 p.m. Friday, April 8, 2016 • Alateen “I Can’t We Can” Wednesday Night 9:00 a.m. Coffee; 9:30 a.m. Speakers. Potluck breakfast and raffle As of February 10, 2016 to follow. Babysitting available. Handicap Accessible. NEW LOCATION: 31st Anniversary The First Congregational Church Church of Christ Congregational 26 Meetinghouse Lane, Madison 1075 Main St., Newington (corner of Main and Cedar) TIME: Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. • Bristol Friday Night “Free At Last” SaturdAy, April 9, 2016 (Weekly meetings held Fridays at 7 p.m.) This meeting needs our support… 6 p.m. Potluck; 7:00 p.m. Speakers • Sunday Night Survivors Group 16th Anniversary 6:30 p.m. Backus Hospital, 326 Washington St., Norwich The Bristol Recovery Club Norwich Activity Rm., 1st floor, Wing D 67 West St., Bristol (driveway across from Hamelin & Sons) From the Editor What is Alateen? his special double issue of Lifeline focuses on the Connecticut lateen is part of Al‑Anon Family Groups. Alateen is a Alateen Groups and features submissions from our own fellowship of young Al‑Anon members, usually teenagers, Alateens and Alateen Sponsors. whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking. TAlateens please “Keep Coming” and sharing. You are the lifeblood AThe adults in the meetings are the Alateen Group Sponsors, who help of Al‑Anon’s future. We value your attendance, participation, energy, the teens to stay focused on the Alateen program. Alateens come and newness. Your hospitality, especially towards newcomers, and together to: serving spirit is inspiring. Thanks for your courage to be our guest • Share experiences, strength, and hope with each other speakers and for unmasking the enormous challenges you face daily. • Discuss difficulties You teach us how to work the program. • Learn effective ways to cope with problems I cannot understate that this issue is also intended to encourage • Encourage one another Al‑Anon members to please step up and become an Alateen Sponsor. • Help each other understand the principles of the Al-Anon program Tap on the shoulder of an Al-Anon member that you think might be • Learn how to use the Twelve Steps and Alateen’s Twelve Traditions. an ideal candidate and encourage them to become a Sponsor. It’s been It’s very difficult when a parent, stepparent, grandparent, friend, known to work! sibling, or any one else in one’s life has a drinking problem. It affects Many blessings to all who contributed to this issue. Please keep how young people are treated and it shapes their world. Alateen sending in your submissions to [email protected]. Sharing what meetings are where teens can find support and understanding from the program means to you keeps AFG strong in Connecticut. — people their own age who are going through similar difficulties. Margaret G., Lifeline Coordinator From the WSO website: al‑anon.org/how‑will‑alateen‑help‑me Reprinted by permission of Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. A message from Dave T. Connecticut Alateen Coordinator ith the addition of the Al‑Anon members to step up is challenging. You can donate money to the Wednesday Night Groton Everyone agrees that Alateen is great and that Alateen group for a teen speaking at an Meeting in December we more meetings are needed but very few are Anniversary. On occasion an Alateen Wnow have 18 meetings in Connecticut. willing to come forward to make it a reality. travels a far distance to be a speaker. The process has started for a new Ask any current or former Alateen Most times it’s the sponsor who drives meeting in Manchester High School. Sponsor and I believe each one of them will but sometimes a teen has their own There are currently three meetings in say it’s one of the most rewarding things they transportation. Either way, with gas prices high schools in Fairfield county. have ever done in their life. it can add up to be an expensive service The Newington Thursday Night We are blessed with good coverage in commitment. Meeting is in process of setting up a the southern and southwestern parts of In keeping with Tradition 7, please have breakout meeting for preteens. They Connecticut. The north and northeastern your group offer to pay for travel expenses. would be part of the Alateen group but sections have nothing. There are no meetings The current CT-AFG Area rate is 30¢ twice a month after opening together in Districts 8, 9 or 10. Please step up or help a mile. The Connecticut Area Alateen with the group they would break off to recruit potential new sponsors — especially sponsors would like to try and get an have their own meeting. This would give in those districts. There are a lot of teens out Alateen to every group that requests it in the older teens the opportunity to share there who really need Alateen. order to give our teens an opportunity to on topics that are not age appropriate for Spring is here and there are lots of share their Program. the younger ones. This has been done in anniversaries! If you would like an Alateen To end on an upbeat note, Rachel P. other Areas and I’m excited to see how it speaker at your celebration please follow from the Norwich Alateen Group had her works here. proper protocol and talk to an Alateen Group submission published in the December I am getting more and more inquiries Sponsor in your district first. 2015 issue of The Forum. Please read how for potential Alateen meetings from Please do not directly ask a teen to speak. Alateen has helped her. schools and community agencies. The The sponsor knows if a teen is ready and will callers expect to find a pool of sponsors ask without imposing pressure upon the teen. Yours in service, ready and waiting to walk in and give Groups that meet in the morning have a Dave T., Alateen Coordinator them Alateen. I wish that were the case! greater chance of getting an Alateen speaker As with any new Alateen meeting the if they hold their Anniversary when there is a problem is the lack of sponsors. Getting school vacation. 2 Lifeline, March 2016 Alateen History By the end of 1962, there were 203 registered groups, and the Alateen program was spreading to other countries. In April of 1964, a eenage children in the families of alcoholics soon realized staff member was added to work for Alateen, to handle correspondence that their problems differed from those of adult members. In with members and groups, send free packets of literature to new 1957, Alateen grew out of this need. A 17-year-old boy, whose groups, and respond to inquiries from concerned professionals. Tfather was in A.A. and mother in Al‑Anon, had been fairly successful In 2003, the Al-Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc. Board of in trying to solve his problems by applying the A.A. Steps and slogans.