About the fellowship
Search AA, NA and other UK recovery meetings by postcode, town, or fellowship, in person or online. No sign-up. No tracking of who you are. Just the door, the time, and how to get there.
Al-Anon Family Groups, usually just called Al-Anon, is a free, anonymous fellowship for anyone whose life is or has been affected by someone else's drinking. It is not for the person who drinks, that is what AA is for. Al-Anon is for you: the partner, parent, adult child, relative, or friend.
There are no fees and no referrals. The only requirement for membership is that someone else's drinking is, or has been, a problem in your life.
Al-Anon is for anyone affected by another person's drinking, whether they are still drinking or now sober, still in your life or not. Partners, parents, adult children, brothers and sisters, friends, and colleagues all come. You do not need that person to change, or even to know you are there, to get something from it.
People often arrive worn out from worrying, helping, or keeping the peace. Al-Anon is somewhere to put yourself first for an hour and sit with others who understand, in your own time and without anyone labelling you.
Many people first hear the Three Cs in an Al-Anon room: you didn't cause it, you can't control it, and you can't cure it. It is a gentle reminder that another person's drinking is not your fault and not yours to fix, and that you are still allowed your own peace of mind.
Alateen is part of Al-Anon, for younger people, usually teenagers, who are affected by someone else's drinking. It runs as its own meeting with trained adult members present. If you are looking for help for a young person, Al-Anon can point you to Alateen, and our families and friends section has more on supporting children and teenagers.
Al-Anon began in 1951, started by Lois W., the wife of one of AA's co-founders, and her friend Anne B., who saw that families needed their own recovery and not just the drinker. It reached the UK and Ireland in the early 1950s, and Alateen followed for teenagers in the 1960s. Al-Anon now meets across the UK in person, online, and as hybrids.