July/August 2025
Art as a Recovery Tool
-Flyer from Art as a Recovery Tool in 2024
In addition to using the tools of the Al-Anon program, Vickie M. has found support for her recovery through visual art. In 2003, she was moved to share her experience with other members. In a District 10 meeting, she proposed hosting a “Playshop” where participants could explore “Art as a Recovery Tool (ART)”. The concept took shape as she visited meetings and gathered ideas. It soon became clear that other members had found inspiration in making art, too. They agreed to share what they had learned in an interactive setting where they could grow along with the participants. Each presenter designed their own Playshop titles and activities. Here are some examples.
= “I Can’t Draw a Straight Line” Introduction to Drawing (Kay C.) Leaning into imperfection, messiness, play, exploration, and spontaneity can be fun! Experience how artistic expression and our Al-Anon slogans can work together to foster spiritual growth in recovery.
= Brighten Up Your Life with Watercolors (Ginger W.) Explore how color can affect your mood. Learn how playing with a little dash of color can brighten your life, promote relaxation, and improve your mental and emotional wellbeing.
= Brighten Your Day with Rock Painting (Michelle G.) Explore how replacing our character defects with positive words or designs painted on rocks can be a fun way to connect and work with Step 6.
= Contemplative Collage (Vickie M.) Explore using pictures, images, and symbols to connect and express what gratitude looks and feels like to you in recovery.
= Beginning Crochet (Chris): We don’t want to be tied up in knots! Learn how to calm your mind with crochet.
The Art as a Recovery Tool (ART) Playshop was held on March 16, 2024, at St. Placid Priory, a contemplative retreat in Lacey, WA. Registration and lunch cost $30. The event started with a one-hour introduction. Then, participants rolled up their sleeves, tried new ways of self-expression, got messy and had lots of fun. After lunch, they tried a second round of exploration. After each session, members chose to share their work and what it meant to them either with the group or another person. These moments of intimacy and vulnerability in a safe and open environment were powerful and healing.
Recovery can be a gift given through art, to both presenters and participants!
If your group or district is interested in hosting an ART Playshop contact The Bits Newsletter Editor for more information and suggestions on partnering with other groups.
-Artwork by Ruth RL
Kent All Men’s AFG, better known as “KAMA,” has been a fixture at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Kent since 1981. I began attending KAMA in September 1997. I moved out of the area several times due to work requirements but always considered KAMA my home group. When I retired, I moved back to Renton so I could be close to KAMA and the many friends I made there.
The stability of the meeting and its consistent location became a touchstone of my program. Whatever was happening in my life I knew I could always “come home.” The amenities at Holy Spirit include a meeting hall to hold the annual Gratitude Dinner and speaker meeting. This dinner has been a long-held tradition for recovery in both the Al-Anon and AA communities. While we had a long and happy relationship with Holy Spirit, the church’s needs changed, and they needed the meeting space to fulfill their primary purpose.
This old tradition is ending, and a new tradition begins.
KAMA moved to a new facility on May 30, 2025, The First United Methodist Church: Lighthouse Early Learning Center in Auburn. It provides meeting rooms plus the space needed to continue hosting the annual Gratitude Dinner. After so many years rooted in the same place, there is a natural sense of loss at leaving our familiar location. At the same time there is a feeling of optimism and excitement at the start of this new phase.
For the first meeting on May 30, we had the choice of two rooms. We chose the larger one attached to the kitchen. One wall, made entirely of windows, provided a much more open feeling than our previous location. As the meeting began, the familiar words of the opening brought me back to “my meeting.” The shares were just as powerful as always. I came away feeling that the change of venue was going to be just fine. At the second meeting on June 6, the larger room was set up for a banquet, so we used the smaller room and nearly filled that space. We have the option of using either room in the future. It will be interesting to see which one we select as our primary meeting room.
As KAMA moves into this continuation in a new location, our commitment to Tradition Five also continues, “…by practicing the Twelve Steps of AA ourselves, by encouraging and understanding our alcoholic relatives, and by welcoming and giving comfort to families of alcoholics.”
I want to take this opportunity to invite all men who are interested in experiencing the fellowship and Al-Anon growth that is unique to an all-men’s meeting, and to KAMA. We meet every Friday night at 7:30 p.m. and end promptly at 9 p.m. Coffee (regular and decaf) will also continue to be available.
-Allen L.
New meeting location: First United Methodist Church, 100 N Street E, Auburn, WA 98002
Kent All Men’s AFG:
A New Tradition Begins
-Stock photo
SERVICE
Are We Ready for
Alateen Outreach?
Is the hand of Al-Anon and Alateen ready when schools, agencies and organizations reach out to learn about Alateen?
When the 2024-2025 school year began, Districts 20 and District 21 (D20 and 21) started collaborating on Alateen outreach in Northeast (NE) Seattle. They contacted Eckstein Middle School in Seattle to find out if it was possible to restart an Alateen meeting on that site. It did not work out, but they were able to find a location near the school, in Magnuson Park. They distributed posters and flyers to local community centers, schools, and Al-Anon meetings. The meeting called “Wednesday Alateen” began in November and has had a rather slow start.
In May, the seeds of their outreach began to grow. Out of the blue, Nathan Hale High School (NHHS) contacted the NE Seattle Alateen Group email with an invitation to participate in a resource fair. With less than a week’s notice, D20 and D 21 created a trifold outreach board and gathered Alateen pamphlets to distribute at the event.
= They were able to connect with other organizations that were interested in providing information about Alateen and Al-Anon as a resource for their clients.
= A representative for the Lake City branch of Seattle Public Libraries agreed to display “Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism” posters.
= They met Behavioral Health Care Coordinators from four other high schools in NE Seattle who were present at the event.
= Their Alateen table was not the most popular one, but they were able to answer students’ questions and connect with two Health teachers at NHHS.
= Overall, it was a very exciting and rejuvenating day.
The seeds that took root at the resource fair at NHHS have started to blossom. The calendar started to fill up in a rush to make connections before the end of this school year.
= D20 and D21 were invited to take part in three health classes at NHHS to discuss the impacts of alcohol on the family during a unit in Health Class about drug and alcohol use.
= Lincoln High School invited them to host a table during their Resource Fair.
= They will represent Alateen at a Community Resource Fair in Magnuson Park in late June.
= They have been invited to a table at a Back-to-School event on September 2.
D20 and D21 are planning to make more connections in the fall. They are hoping to identify staff members who can share Alateen materials most effectively. They must get to know each school because the titles may not be the same from school to school. Could it be the Behavioral Health Coordinators, Teen Health Centers, Health Class Teachers, Counselors or Social Workers? How can D20 and D21 inform staff members that they are willing to come to events and classes to share experience, strength and hope about the family disease of alcoholism?
D20 and D21 were ready when the schools reached out. They are now contemplating what more they can do to be proactive and be there for potential Alateen members. Here are some things that they are learning. They would like all members and groups to consider these things and find ways to support Alateen.
= WE NEED MORE AMIAS! See articles in The Bits March 2025 edition “Spotlight on Alateen” with articles on how the role of AMIAS evolved in Al-Anon, what an AMIAS does, how to become an AMIAS. Please read these and spread the word at your meetings.
= WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUTREACH in our groups and districts! Does your district or group have an Outreach Committee? Do your Group Reps and District Reps know who to contact if someone reaches out to learn about Alateen? Do they know that pamphlets are available at the Literature Distribution Center (LDC)?
= WE NEED MORE ALATEEN MEETINGS! Is your Al-Anon meeting strong and well attended? Can it support an Alateen meeting in the same location? At the same time? Does your meeting have any AMIAS among its members? Are they willing to work together to start an Alateen meeting in your neighborhood? Can they hold a meeting at a time and place convenient for teens?
= WE NEED SUPPORT! Please read the article in The Bits April 2025 to find out easy ways for your group or district to support Alateen.
D20 and D21 hope their experience will motivate others in our Al-Anon community. They invite you to join them in the adventure of Alateen Service. Please Contact Liz L at wa.district20@gmail.com if you have ideas to share or questions.
How Al-Anon Information
Service (AIS) Works
The purpose of Al-Anon Information Services (AIS) is to support Al-Anon Family Groups, specifically those in Districts 14-22, the Greater Seattle Area.
The OBJECTIVES that guide AIS include:
= To cooperate with Groups and Districts to make the public aware of Al-Anon and Alateen
= To act as the public face of Al-Anon and Alateen
= To serve as a “clearinghouse” for activities and information related to Groups and Districts
= To serve as a communication center for Groups and Districts
= To serve as a Literature Distribution Center (LDC)
Al-Anon Literature Distribution Centers (LDCs) provide Al-Anon members with local access to and quick delivery of Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature (CAL) and other Al-Anon materials. The LDCs and the World Service Office (WSO) work in partnership to carry the message of hope and recovery through Conference Approved Literature and service tools. LDCs can purchase literature at a discounted price from the WSO, which allows them to offer it to members in their local Area. Members can purchase literature from their local LDC, thereby supporting local services, or directly from the WSO.
The WSO does not sell printed copies of CAL on platforms like Amazon; however, electronic versions are available through several ebook vendor platforms. While we cannot prevent others from reselling our printed literature on services such as Amazon, members should be aware that purchasing through such sources does not support Al-Anon’s links of service. We encourage members to purchase printed literature from their local LDC or the WSO, which ensures fair pricing and supports our service links.
For more information, please refer to “Local Services” in the “Digest of Al-Anon and Alateen Policies” section of the Al-Anon/Alateen Service Manual (P-24/27).
-The Forum, July 2025
Reprinted with permission of Al‑Anon Family Group Headquarters, Inc.,
Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA.
Note from the LDC: The message that we get from the WSO is that they prefer members to buy their literature from their local LDC rather than online from the WSO. One of the reasons is that the member will get their order sooner from the LDC than from the WSO.
The Role of Al-Anon
Literature Distribution
Centers(LDCs)
Greater Seattle Area LDC:
It’s All About Teamwork
Have you visited the Greater Seattle Area Literature Distribution Center (LDC) on Capitol Hill in Seattle on the first Saturday of the month? When you do, you will find a cozy book shop in the basement of All Pilgrims Church full of Conference Approved Literature (CAL). You will be welcomed by one or both of our Co-Coordinators Linda H. and Mary R. Other members may be there browsing the literature, making purchases for their meetings, picking up literature orders or just hanging out. You may find AIS Council members and other volunteers who drop by to help. What an opportunity for asking questions about the literature and the program, making new friends and re-connecting with old ones! The atmosphere can be quiet but is often lively and full of the joy of fellowship.
What you will experience when you visit the LDC is just a part of the picture. If you cannot make it into the LDC in person to purchase literature, you can order it online by visiting the AIS website Greater Seattle Al-Anon and clicking on the Literature tab or click here Literature — Greater Seattle Al-Anon.
Once you have made your selection and have sent in the form to the LDC, one of our Home Volunteers will process it. They enter your order in Quickbooks, and send you an invoice. This is a great volunteer opportunity for people with limited time, mobility or transportation. They can work from home for a few hours for one week once a month. Mary R. trains them and works out a schedule that fits theirs. She is always available to troubleshoot technology glitches and unravel the sometimes tangled customer communications.
When your payment has been cleared, the Shipping Volunteers will fill your order, pack it up and ship it or hold it for pick-up on the first Saturday. This is a perfect job for someone who likes to work alone. They can fit the task into their schedule once a month on a Thursday. Linda H. trains them, works out a schedule and reimurses them for their parking or bus costs.
If you would like more information about being on the LDC team as a Home or Shipping Volunteer, contact LDC@seattle-al-anon.org.
IT’S TIME FOR A NEW VOLUNTEER!
Literature Distribution
Center (LDC)
Co-Coordinator Position
is Open Now
Linda H. has recently accepted the job of Treasurer for AIS, and we are looking for her replacement as Co-Coordinator of the LDC. When we asked about her experience in the job she said, “This is a job for a worker bee. The systems are set up and our job is to keep things running smoothly. We get lots of support from Council members and the volunteers. Service in this position has been of great support to my recovery! When I got busy, I got better!”
Co-Coordinators at the LDC share the tasks such as
= training, scheduling, and managing activities of volunteers
= managing the LDC facility
= managing the inventory
= collaborating with AIS Council and Board
= representing Seattle AIS at quarterly on-line meetings with LDC coordinators across the WSO
Skills required include
= learning and working with QuickBooks Online and Office 365 or current applications
= being familiar with Al-Anon Legacies and principles
= understanding of the links of service
= possessing strong attention to detail and ownership for project timelines
= being a team builder and member
The job requires about two or three hours per week, depending on how the tasks are divided between the Co-Coordinators.
See the Standard Rules and Procedures’ Manual (SRPM) section 9.1 for a full list of duties. Contact LDC@seattle-al-anon.org with questions or to volunteer for this service position.
More AIS Positions
Still Open For 2025!
Click on the position to find out more about the job.
Requesting Phone Volunteers
What do you need to be a Phone Volunteer?
=A desire to help
=Access to the Zoom app on a cellphone or computer
=A slot of time that works for you to work regularly:
-Once a month
-Several times a week
-A combination of times
Note: all of your personal information remains anonymous.
Contact the Phone Coordinator Phones@seattle-al-anon.org
or call/text 206-625-0000
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SAVE THE DATE
August 10, 2025, 1pm-4pm
All Pilgrims Church
509 10th Ave. E. Seattle 98102
Build your own ice cream sundae
or root beer float.
Play AIS Bingo in English/Spanish
and enjoy fellowship.
Posting Flyers on
the AIS Website
FAQs
What goes on the Events Page?
= Special event flyers from any Al-Anon Family Group (AFG), District, Area, or Al-Anon Information Service (AIS) including those outside of Districts 14-22
= Speaker meeting flyers
= Events must be sponsored by an Al-Anon service arm (group, district, area, AIS, or LDC)
= AA events with Al-Anon participation (must be co-sponsored by an Al-Anon service arms
= Periodic special events such as speakers meetings that occur during at the same time and place as a regular meeting (the flyer can announce the special event only)
What does NOT go on the Events Page?
= If no flyer is provided, the event will be listed on the Master Calendar only
=NO AIS Council, Board, district, or Area AWSC meetings (they are business meetings; not events, so they are not listed)
=NO Regular groups or workshops (they are listed on the Meetings Page)
What goes on the Master Calendar Page?
= All events with flyers on the Events Page
= Event announcements without flyers
= AIS Board and Council Meetings
= District 14-22 Meetings
= Area World Service Conference meetings (AWSC)
What does NOT go on the Master Calendar Page?
= NO Regular AFG groups and weekly workshops meetings (they can be found in the Meeting Directory)
What can go on a flyer?
= Name of event, location, details, names of speakers with first name and last initial
= Images that convey the spirit of the event
= Al-Anon/Alateen logo when displayed according the Al-Anon Alateen Service Manual (P-24/27) - Al-Anon Family Groups p.117
What CAN NOT go on a flyer?
= NO full names or personal contact information e.g., telephone #s or mailing addresses on the flyer
= NO advertising or sponsorship
= NO quotations from Conference Approved Literature
= NO images of members of Al-Anon or AA
= NO images or texts that are subject to copyright
Suggestions for creating a flyer
= Compose a simple image that looks good in color and black and white. Many groups do not have access to color printing.
= Use a large font. Your flyer will be reproduced in a much smaller size on the AIS webpage and will appear very small on a cell phone. Send a copy to yourself to see if you can read it on your phone before you submit it.
How do you get your flyer or announcement posted on the AIS website Events Page and/or Events Calendar?
= Send it to the Events Editor.
= Send flyers as PDF files in an email.
= Send the text of the announcements in an email.
=Include the start and end time, even if it is an estimate. The Events Editor will add a “best guess” end time if you do not include one.
= Send your email at least one month before the event so that people will have time to read it. (There is no deadline. The Events Editor will generally post it within a few days of receiving your email).
= The Web Editor will let you know if there is anything that needs to be changed before posting.
How can I get my flyer posted in The Bits newsletter?
= The Bits does not post flyers of all events. Flyers are already posted on the Events Page and Events Calendar.
= If you want to write an article about your event for submission to The Bits, your flyer may be used as an illustration for the article.
= If you want to write an article prior to your event, it must be submitted to the Newsletter Editor no later than the 15th of the month before the event.
= See Guidelines for Bits Articles for instructions and ideas.
Greater Seattle Area Events
Click here Events — Greater Seattle Al-Anon
Washington Area Events
Al-Anon Information Service serves Districts 14-22. If you want to know about Al-Anon meetings, events and resources in the greater Washington Area please go to the website. Check out the Events tab for
=AA International Convention 2025 July 3-6
=WAAC (WA Area Alateen Conference) July 18-20
=August AWSC (WA Area World Service Committee) August 2
Meeting Changes
Monday 7:30– 9:00 PM Salmon Bay Candlelight AFG,
Zoom only. No longer hybrid meetings on first Monday
For more info see Meetings — Greater Seattle Al-Anon
AIS Council &
Board Meetings
The next Council meeting Thursday is July 10, 2025 @ 7:30-9:00 pm. Check the AIS Information Page for the Zoom link and to confirm the August meeting.
The next Board meeting is Thursday, July 17 @ 7:00-8:30 pm. Check the AIS Information Page for the Zoom link.
AIS Office &
Literature Distribution
Center Open House
Saturday, June 7, 11:00am-3:00pm
and the first Saturday of every month
All Pilgrims Church
509 10th Ave. E. Seattle 98102
Need A Free Newcomer Packet?
Anyone local to Seattle who is a newcomer and wants an individual newcomer packet (or in Spanish, too!), please submit your request via the New To Al-Anon page or send an email to outreach@seattle-al-anon.org with the name and mailing address.
EXPERIENCE, STRENGTH AND HOPE FROM MEMBERS
Slowly Eroding My Shame
Like many puppies, I was rescued during the pandemic. Not by a person but by Al-Anon. One of the first meetings I attended (on Zoom, of course!) was newly created and focused on Step 1: “We admitted we were powerless over alcohol-that our lives had become unmanageable.”
After a few months, in a business meeting, the group discussed expanding the service roles to include a treasurer so that we could become fully self-supporting, following Tradition Seven. The facilitator asked for someone to step into the role of treasurer.
I stayed silent. Managing money was not my thing. At one time, I had $40,000 in personal credit card debt, so I decided that the group did not need me. I probably thought I would hurt the group by taking on that service role. Everyone else stayed silent, too. No one volunteered.
For the next week, I kept feeling a quiet and gentle nudge from my Higher Power (HP) to think about the role of treasurer. That led to a days-long argument with my HP, “No way. That’s the definition of insanity. Putting me in charge of other people’s money? Don’t you remember my mistakes with money in the past?”
Yet, the nudges kept coming. So, I spoke with my sponsor, and she asked me, “Are you still in credit card debt?” I paused, considered the question, and quietly said, “Nope.” She continued, “Didn’t you get help so that you could pay off that entire debt?” I thought about it more, and reluctantly said, “Oh, right.”
At the next meeting, I offered to accept the position of treasurer. I was definitely nervous about stewarding other people’s precious and generous contributions. But the group trusted me, believed in me. Several members offered to connect me with others who were either currently in or had previously served in this role. I wasn’t doing it alone!
After serving for one year, I trained another member who took on the role of treasurer with the same trepidation I had felt. Now I am in my second year as treasurer for a different meeting. I LOVE this service position — it is challenging, rewarding and has helped me increase my own financial skills. I’ve learned I can make a mistake, walk through initial feelings of shame, tell my group about the mistake and how I am going to solve it, sometimes by asking others for help.
I take my recovery and my job as treasurer one day at a time. My increasing confidence is slowly eroding my shame. I am even able to help others who are trying to establish digital baskets for other online meetings. When I help others, it’s a gift because I can see how far I have come. Progress, not perfection.
Deneen B.
-Stock photo
I Felt An Ease And Comfort
My name is Doug and I'm a grateful member of Al-Anon. I went to my first meeting over 30 years ago and attended sporadically. In April of 2020, I had an epiphany about my feelings and knew I needed Al-Anon. I started full participation and haven't looked back. I am also in Alcoholics Anonymous and recently celebrated 36 years of continuous sobriety.
Growing up the youngest child in a home with an alcoholic father, I did not believe I had a voice. Over the years I learned many impractical and non-constructive ways of trying to be heard and noticed. I was constantly seeking attention and approval from others.
I carried those behaviors into my adolescent and adult life. These behaviors made me an annoying person to be around. I didn't fare well at creating, maintaining, and growing productive and healthy relationships. All my romantic partners or friends were either alcoholics or affected by alcoholism. I had learned how to re-create the odd comfort of the dysfunction in which I grew up.
I was blessed to get an Al-Anon sponsor right away. Our family stories differ a bit from each other, but the results are strikingly similar. Because he instilled in me the value of focusing on my own behavior, I have been able to share my life with him, and to apply the tools of the program to feelings and behaviors, and to work through them slowly but surely.
Working the steps of Al-Anon has helped to restore me to a sanity I did not believe existed, to discover self-worth I never knew I had, to detach slowly (eventually with love) from relationships that didn’t work for me and discover truths about myself that I could never have imagined.
I continue to see where I need to grow in recovery by being a speaker at Al-Anon events. In my early days in Al-Anon when I would share or chair a meeting, I would spend time fretting over what I would say and if I’d be accepted and liked. I recall watching the faces and looking for signs of how I was being received. I felt so embarrassed inside.
When I was asked to be a speaker at events, I would do the same thing. I had still not reached the point of not needing approval. I was able to talk to my sponsor about my feelings and apply the tools of Al-Anon. They have helped me process what I was going through, something I had never learned before.
About a year ago, as I was sharing my story from the podium, I realized that I was not really concerned with what people in the meeting thought of me or if they liked me. I felt an ease and comfort that I don’t recall having experienced before.
Whether sharing at a meeting or speaking from the podium, I need to talk about what is going on in my life today and how the program is helping me deal with it. And believe me, there isn't a day in my life where I don't use the Al-Anon program to ensure that I have a good day.
-Doug H.
-Artwork by Ruth RL
Would You Like to Host a Writing Workshop?
The shares above were written at the Writing for Recovery Workshop at the Summer Seminar Assembly (SSA) in May. Writing workshops support recovery, provide opportunities for service and are a great way to do outreach. If your group or district is interested in hosting a writing workshop, please contact the Bits Editor. We have lots of ways to support you! Materials, literature, templates, and coaching.
Are You Looking For More
Experience,
Strength And Hope?
Al-Anon’s monthly magazine, the Forum, features timely shares from Al-Anon and Alateen members, suggested meeting topics, and the latest information on worldwide Al-Anon recovery.
Click here for sample articles from the June edition of the Forum and more.
If you like what you read, give this a try: Subscribe to the Forum.
SHARE YOUR E/S/H,
Stories & Artwork
IIf you have never written an article for the Bits, please click Guidelines for Bits Articles to find out how to do it. If you are hesitating, we will offer you guidance and give you a sounding board for your thoughts. Also please consider sending reproducible artwork or photos. Please send in your articles, reflections, poetry and art to newslettereditor@seattle-al-anon.org.
What’s On Your Mind?
We welcome your thoughts, reflection, comments and suggestions about anything that you have read or seen in this newsletter. Please share them with us at newslettereditor@seattle-al-anon.org.
Artwork Credit
Unless attributed to an individual, images used in this publication are AI Generated and in the Public Domain. They are labeled “Stock photo”. They do not represent any specific individual or place and therefore respect the anonymity of our members and the intellectual property of the artist.
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Thank You For
Your Donations To AIS!
Our funding comes primarily from Donations by Members, Groups and Districts and Literature Sales. Please send all donations, to:
Seattle AIS
505 Broadway E #400
Seattle, WA 98102-5023