Nearly 37 percent of Muslims report personally knowing a person who has or is struggling with addiction. Yet Most Muslims with addiction and their families find little support in their communities. 

Are you looking for resources to help you support someone struggling with addiction? Is someone else’s addiction negatively affecting you? 

Help is on the way for you and your loved ones struggling with an addiction. MCC is now hosting Al-Anon Family Group meetings.

Join our weekly anonymous meetings from 11 a.m. to noon starting on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at MCC in Room 16. Enter MCC from Suite 150. In this open and confidential setting, you will learn how to apply basic recovery principles to your personal or loved one’s situation. 

There is no fee to participate and pre-registration is not required.

This is an open meeting, so families, friends, and observers are welcome. Recovery is for everyone!

For those who cannot attend this in-person weekly support, the Madina House offers a regular virtual family support group: https://www.madinahouse.org/family-group

Regardless of the issue, you are dealing with, we know that hosting space in your spiritual community center is part of the lasting change from the inside out. 

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

What is Al-Anon?

The Al-Anon Family Groups are a fellowship of relatives and friends of those affected by another person’s alcoholism and substance use who share their experiences, strength, and hope, in order to solve their common problems. Addiction is regarded as a family illness, and the philosophy focuses on the principle that changed attitudes can aid recovery.

Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution; does not engage in any controversy, and neither endorses nor opposes any cause. There are no dues for membership. Al-Anon is self-supporting through its own voluntary contributions. This Al-Anon Family Group session is called Celebrating Surrender AFG WSO ID 30787606.

• – MCC’s Substance Use Family Support Group: https://mcceastbay.org/support-group
• – More talks about various forms of use in Muslim Community: https://mcceastbay.org/abuse

Resources

• Muslims find a safe place to recover from alcohol addiction: the mosque
• For Muslims wrestling with substance abuse, it’s often a silent struggle
• Substance Abuse and Addiction in the Muslim Community: Facing Stigma and Seeking Support
• The Imam and the Drug Addict, IlmFeed
• Overcoming Addiction: An Islamic Approach to Recovery (OAIAR)

Questions? events@mcceastbay.org

FAQs ABOUT AL-ANON

Is this a religious fellowship?

The Al-Anon Family Group is a spiritual fellowship, not a religious one. We avoid discussion of specific religious doctrine, and members of all faiths (or of none) are welcome. Our Twelve Steps ask us to find a “Power greater than ourselves” who can help us solve our problems and find serenity. Each member is free to define that power in his or her own way.

Is an appointment needed?

No advance notification or formal written referral is necessary to attend an Al-Anon or Alateen meeting.  Most Al-Anon groups have a contact who can be called for information about the group, our program in general, or for directions to a meeting. For this meeting, it is munir@mcceastbay.org.

How much is this going to cost?

There are no dues or fees in Al-Anon and Alateen meetings. MCC does not charge a fee to provide the space. Some other groups pass a basket for voluntary contributions to support paying rent (if applicable), provide literature, and offer support to local and worldwide service centers.

Is there a registration process to attend Al-Anon meetings?

The meetings are on a walk-in basis. Al-Anon has no membership list and does not take attendance. You’re welcome to attend as frequently or infrequently as you choose. There is never any obligation. 

How will Al-Anon help me?

Many who come to Al-Anon/Alateen are in despair, feeling hopeless, unable to believe that things can ever change. We want our lives to be different, but nothing we have done has brought about change. We all come to Al-Anon because we want and need help.

In Al-Anon and Alateen, members share their own experience, strength, and hope with each other. You will meet others who share your feelings and frustrations, if not your exact situation. We come together to learn a better way of life, to find happiness whether our loved one is still addicted or not. It is recommended to try 6 different meetings to determine if Al-anon is right for you. 

My friend/loved one is a drug addict. Can I go to an Al-Anon meeting?

You are also welcome to try Al-Anon meetings, then decide if the Al–Anon program might be helpful to you. The primary purpose of Al-Anon is to provide support to those affected by another person’s drinking. In a membership survey 35% of our members said they joined our program because of a loved one’s drug addiction and that their lives had improved since attending meetings. The survey also showed that 78% of these members eventually realized that someone’s drinking also negatively affected their lives.

There is another program, Nar-Anon, which is for people affected by a loved one’s drug addiction. You can visit their web site here: Nar–Anon.org. You are also welcome to try Al–Anon meetings, then decide if the Al-Anon program might be helpful to you.

Will anyone say I’ve been there?

Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of Al-anon, ever a reminder to place principles above personalities. One of the ways this is carried out is by group members introducing themselves by first name only. Meetings are confidential, and we do not disclose whom we see or what we hear at meetings to anyone. 

Do I have to say anything at a meeting?

It is your choice to speak or not during the meetings. Newcomers are welcomed to meetings, usually provided with literature and a local meeting list, and invited to listen and learn. Some meetings offer beginners’ meetings, specifically for newcomers. Long-time members are available to answer questions before or after the meetings.

Resources

• Al-Anon Family Group (for families with a loved one suffering through an addiction)
• East Bay Intergroup of Alcoholics Anonymous (for those suffering through an addiction)
• Alameda County Department of Public Health – Substance Abuse Resource List
• Alameda County Behavioral Health – Resource List and Helpline (1-844-682-7215)