Al-Anon offers a wide selection of literature, covering topics relating to people affected by someone else's drinking. Pamphlets and books explain how the program works and how it helps friends and families of alcoholics.

About Al-Anon Literature

Since its founding in 1951, Al-Anon Family Groups has published more than 100 books and pamphlets that share a single purpose: to help family and friends recover from the effects of someone else's drinking. All Al-Anon literature, including e-CAL, supplements face-to-face meetings where Al-Anon members share their insights and experiences with each other.

It is only one tool of the Al-Anon program and is most fully understood when used in conjunction with other tools of the program. Books, pamphlets, and electronic literature can strengthen your recovery, but they cannot substitute for the help and healing that take place at Al-Anon meetings in the context of a complete recovery program.

Al-Anon has a process of approving the content of its literature called the Conference Approval Process. This assures that the literature is identifiably Al-Anon in content and feeling, is understandable by the broadest based reading audience, and is timely and factually accurate. The books, pamphlets and periodicals listed here reflect the experiences of Al-Anon and Alateen members as they recover from the disease of alcoholism. Literature that has completed this process include the words "Approved by World Service Conference Al-Anon Family Groups."

The Al-Anon Family Groups Headquarters, Inc. publishes literature containing the experience, strength, and hope of its members who apply the principles for their own recovery. Among the Conference Approved Literature (CAL), there are at least 15 books, 70 pamphlets, and a monthly magazine, The Forum. This wealth of information from those who have lived with alcoholism is used for individual daily reading and as a focus for study by members during their meetings. All are printed in English and many have been translated in over 30 languages and used worldwide. Videos and other materials are also available.