Many people question why the family members of an alcoholic need a recovery program too if they don’t have a drinking problem. What Al-Anon members come to understand is that alcoholism is a family disease. Some refer to it as a disease of relationships. Those closest to the alcoholic suffer the most and can easily get caught up in the behavior of the other person. Family members often react to the alcoholic’s behavior and may try to control their drinking for them. They may also take on the blame, guilt, and shame that really belong to the drinker.

In this interview with an anonymous Al-Anon member, she shares one of the ways her husband’s drinking affected her and what she learned in Al-Anon that helped.