Al-Anon FAQ
Meetings have no dues/fees; contributions are voluntary.
Family & partners
How do we find a way forward together?
Getting sober does not automatically settle an argument or rebuild trust. You may be sharing a home, parenting after time away or trying to apologize without asking for immediate forgiveness. Find information for people in recovery and their families.
Your people
Conversations, agreements and trust.
These guides cover practical agreements, trust, parenting and caregiving. Available reading can help you prepare an everyday conversation, but cannot determine how someone will respond. For questions about safety, use the specialist resource below.
Free to read
Guides for this topic.
Choose a question below. Every guide opens without an account.
Trust, boundaries & safety
Guide · 3 min read
How can I ask for support and still keep boundaries?
You need help but may be worried that accepting it gives someone a say in everything else.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I rebuild trust after I have let someone down?
You may want the person to see how much you are trying, while they are still living with what happened before.
Guide · 4 min read
What can I do if a relationship feels controlling or unsafe?
You may be checking their mood before answering a message, hiding an appointment or wondering whether you are overreacting.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I seek help if someone may be monitoring my phone or accounts?
You may be afraid someone can see this search, and changing a password might not feel safe either.
Guide · 3 min read
How can I have one clearer conversation about a practical problem?
You need to discuss a ride, bill or household task, but the conversation may carry a much older argument into the room.
Parenting & caregiving
Guide · 4 min read
How can I make a care plan that includes my own needs?
You may know everyone else’s care schedule while your own appointments and rest keep disappearing from it.
Guide · 3 min read
How can I find childcare or respite I can actually use?
You need time for care, work or rest, but finding someone who can safely take over may already feel like another job.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I talk to a child about a parent’s alcohol or drug problems?
A child may be asking questions you wish you did not have to answer, or noticing more than the adults have said.
Guide · 3 min read
How can we coordinate parenting when recovery changes the schedule?
Your care or recovery schedule has changed, and you may be worried that asking for a parenting adjustment will start another argument.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I help an adult relative without taking over everything?
Your relative needs help, and saying what you can manage may feel disloyal when you know more is needed.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I return to parenting after time away?
You may have imagined the reunion many times, while your child has been living a daily life you have missed.
From across SoberSphere
Related reading.
Guide · 4 min read
How can I turn an offer of support into an arrangement that helps?
You want to help but may not know what would be useful, and the person you are asking may have little energy to work it out for you.
Beyond SoberSphere
Public resources for this topic.
Family support can include twelve-step or secular groups, practical caregiving help and specialist safety support. These resources have different purposes; explore the descriptions and each organization’s own information.
These links open the publisher’s website. No SoberSphere account is needed. Each organization sets its own access rules and costs.
Nar-Anon Family Groups meetings
Official meeting search for people affected by someone else’s addiction.
SMART Family & Friends
Free supporter meetings and downloadable tools.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Free confidential human advocacy and safety support, 24/7.
Family Caregiver Alliance services by state
Free state-level navigation to caregiver resources.
Dougy Center
Public bereavement tools, family education and support navigation.
Member Benefits — in development