Al-Anon: getting past denial.(Alcoholics Anonymous)(Editorial)

It all started with a booth at a medical meeting.

It was a booth for Al-Anon, the group for family members, friends, and co-workers of alcoholics. The woman at the booth told me her story and how Al-Anon changed her life, and I was blown away. In fact, I was so impressed that I went back to my private practice and added a question about family history of alcoholism to my incoming patient questionnaire. (Today I would probably phrase it as "family history of problem drinking or drug use.")

From then on, if anyone answered "yes" to that question, I would refer them to Al-Anon. Some patients agreed right away to go to a meeting; others said they didn't see why they should go, because their father died when they were young or their parents divorced, or for whatever reason they didn't think it would help them.

I persisted, and if they still said no, I said, "Well, you don't have to try it, but if you don't, every time you come into my office I'm going to ask you about it, because it's on the problem list."

Many did try Al-Anon. Soon, their visits to my practice decreased. One woman used to come in almost every month with something, and after she started going to Al-Anon, she stopped coming except for her annual checkup. People also seemed happier.

But there was another amazing result. Five people came back and told me that the nonjudgmental nature of Al-Anon gave them the courage to address their own addictions. Four went to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA); one went to Narcotics Anonymous.

Denial can also show itself in other ways. For example, I do rotations at a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic. Many patients I see there drink excessively, but don't think they have a problem. They think they're just like everyone else. That's ...