Al-Anon is a mutual support group. Our personal situations may differ, but we share a common experience: our lives have been affected by another person’s drinking.
We can find understanding and support when we share our common experience with each other. Some of us are here because a spouse or partner has struggled with alcoholism. For others, the problem drinker is a parent, child, or grandchild. Sometimes a brother, a sister, or some other relative or friend brings us to Al-Anon. Many of us have had more than one alcoholic family member or friend.
Alcoholism has similar effects on us all, even though our relationships to the alcoholic may differ. Many newcomers are most interested to hear about situations and relationships that are similar to their own. Over time, however, we come to understand that we can benefit from hearing how the Al-Anon principles work in many different circumstances.
Al-Anon Handshake:
An Orientation for Newcomers
There are many ways to learn about and become introduced to Al-Anon. The Al-Anon Handshake is an online (Zoom) meeting that is held on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, specifically to help newcomers that are just becoming familiar with Al-Anon and how it works. Please join us to connect with other newcomers and Al-Anon members to share the experience, strength and hope of the program.
If you would like to join us for the next Al-Anon Handshake orientation, just send a request for an invitation to the email address below and a Zoom invite to the next meeting will be sent to you. Please don’t forget to check your “junk mail” for the invitation, just in case.
Find a Meeting
You don’t have to attend an orientation to attend an Al-Anon meeting.
Every week over 160 groups meet in Washington state area.
If you would like to find a meeting anywhere in Washington, you can quickly access our directory of meetings by using the “Meetings” option in the site’s main menu above. You can choose between meetings that you can join in person, meetings you can join online (generally via Zoom), or Alateen meetings in Washington. There is also a link to the World Service Office’s listing of online meetings around the world. For easy and immediate access now, just select from the button’s below.
More Resources
This web site serves all of the Washington state area, but there are many other Al-Anon resources available (note the links below will open in a new browser tab).
The Al-Anon World Service Office connects Al-Anon and Alateen areas and groups around the world.
In addition, many regions and smaller areas within Washington provide their own web sites and online resources to better serve the needs of their Al-Anon/Alateen communities. If you live in one of the area’s listed below, you may find the resources available to your local area particularly useful to you.
- Pierce County
- Greater Seattle Al-Anon
- South Puget Sound Al-Anon (serving the greater Olympia and Grays Harbor areas)
- Northern Bothell to Marysville, Western Washington (Al-Anon District 23)
A special message to Washington Al-Anon regions and districts, if you provide your own online presence and would like to be included here, please contact the wa-al-anon.org web editor.
