Sixteen years in Al-anon , now 39, Francis was first taken to an Al-anon meeting at age 2 - 3 by her mother. Her first experience with unmanageability was when her father got them kicked out of their apartment for growing marijuana. She felt enslaved in many ways growing up in an alcoholic home. She developed numerous coping mechanisms to make everything OK - to deal with the shame. She knew she was lesbian from an early age. She came into the rooms of Al-anon hoping to fix her girl friend. She heard them laughing but did not understand. When she came back later she got it - she needed to focus on herself and not fixing the alcoholic. She did not work the steps in the first few years in the program. Through the steps, Al-anon has provided "nuanced" thinking for Francis. "I will always be a learner. I will always need room to grow."
(40 min) (18.6 MB) (id#528)
