According to Gallup (10/2019), a third of Americans say that drinking has caused trouble in their family. What many do not realize is that someone else’s drinking doesn’t just cause physical problems for others but can also cause long lasting emotional and behavioral problems. These problems don’t dissipate when the drinker finds sobriety or is no longer present in their lives. Al-Anon and Alateen, for teens, offer the family members a safe place to figure out how they may have been affected and allow them to discover new ways of living.

In this interview, Lisa, an anonymous Al-Anon member, shares how her sister’s drinking affected her from a young age and continued to affect her even after her sister passed away in adulthood.

This interview was recorded at the 2018 Al-Anon International Convention in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Members were asked to share about various aspects of the Al-Anon program and their personal experience. 
 
Members’ anonymity is protected so that they can share openly and honestly about their experience with a loved one’s drinking and with the Al-Anon program. 
 
The opinions expressed in this video were strictly those of the person who gave them.