How to Find Meeting or Contact Information for Greater Birmingham Al-Anon and Alateen

Updated

BhamAlAnon (bham-al-anon.com) is the website for Greater Birmingham Al-Anon and Alateen Family Groups, serving Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, and St. Clair Counties in Alabama. To find meeting or contact information, start at the site's homepage and use its meeting and contact resources; the site also invites visitors to email with additional questions. The organization notes that meetings are held at local schools, churches, and hospitals, seven days a week, both day and night.

What the Site Covers

The site describes itself as a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who share experience, strength, and hope to solve common problems. It states that alcoholism is a family illness and that changed attitudes can aid recovery. Al-Anon is not allied with any sect, denomination, political entity, organization, or institution, and there are no dues for membership; the fellowship is self-supporting through voluntary contributions.

Alateen is described as the recovery program for young people, with groups sponsored by Al-Anon members. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of alcoholism in a relative or friend.

Finding Meeting Information

The homepage presents the service area — Jefferson, Shelby, Blount, and St. Clair Counties — and points visitors toward meeting details. According to the site, meetings are held at local schools, churches, and hospitals throughout the week. All meetings start at a specific time; most last about an hour, and some have no formal closing time. The site notes that you can come into a meeting or leave anytime you choose.

If the meeting list on the site does not answer your question, the site explicitly invites visitors to email with additional questions, including help deciding whether Al-Anon is for you.

What to Expect at a First Meeting

The site addresses common questions from people considering their first meeting:

  • Who attends: Members come from every walk of life and every relationship to the alcoholic — spouses, parents, siblings, children, grandparents, and close friends. The shared bond is healing from the effects of another person's drinking.
  • Format: Meetings begin at a set time and usually run about an hour, though some have no formal closing time.
  • Atmosphere: Meetings are described as a safe place to talk about dealing with the effects of alcoholism in a friend or loved one.

Contacting the Organization

The site's primary contact channel is email; it invites visitors to write in with any additional questions. Before reaching out, check the homepage for the meeting resources covering the four-county service area, since meeting times and locations are the most common reason people visit the site.

Practical Next Steps

  1. Visit bham-al-anon.com and review the meeting information for your county.
  2. Pick a meeting at a time and place that works for you — options exist seven days a week, day and night.
  3. If you have questions before attending, use the site's email contact as invited on the homepage.
  4. If you are seeking help for a young person, look for Alateen information, noting that Alateen groups are sponsored by Al-Anon members.

The site does not list dues or fees; membership is described as having no dues, with the fellowship supported by voluntary contributions.