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East Valley Information Center
1320 E. Broadway Rd. #109
Mesa, AZ 85204
480-969-6144
office@al-anoneastvalley.org
http://al-anoneastvalley.org
June 2016 District 11, 12, and 13 Issue 15
East Valley Information Center
Newsletter
AL-ANON
East Valley Information Center
Officers and Coordinators
Chair Mary Ann N.
Vice-Chair Johnene B.
Secretary Calena O.
Treasurer Chelsea G.
Office Mgr. Nancy E.
AA Liaison Lee
Alateen (open)
Archives (open)
Events Jean G.
Fundraising Chris S.
Home Calls Michelle
Info. Distrib. Julie W.
Institutions Renee
Literature Tammi
Meeting List Cecilia
Newsletter Marty M.
EVIC Liaison Wendy
Public Outreach Christine
Website (open)
District 11 DR Ann S.
District 12 DR Carrie T.
District 13 DR Elisabeth B.
EVIC business meetings are held
on the fourth Tuesday of every
month at 7:00 p.m. All are
welcome to attend.
Al-Anon Declaration Let it begin with me.
When anyone, anywhere,
reaches out for help,
let the hand of Al-Anon and
Alateen always be there, and
-- Let It Begin with Me.
Serenity Prayer
God give me the Serenity
to accept the things I
cannot change, Courage
to change the things
I can, and Wisdom to
know the difference.
It Could Be Worse
My dad was the first alcoholic in my life. Later, my best friend be-
came a drunk driver who killed someone in a head-on collision.
Now my spouse is an alcoholic. But I know it could be worse. I
could have these people in my life without the tools available in Al-
Anon.
I could let a few bad memories of my father continue to affect me.
Instead I have learned to let go and let God. I can live “Just for To-
day” without reliving the bad times from decades ago. In Al-Anon,
I am reminded often that I have a Higher Power that I can and
should and do rely on.
I've lost contact with my old friend, but he has been replaced by
several new friends that I care about and I know they care about
me. Should he ever reach out for my help, maybe now I have
enough knowledge to be of real assistance.
The Al-Anon “Dos and Don'ts” made a big difference in my mar-
riage. Right away I started making changes in my actions. No more
pouring out alcohol, no more making excuses for her, no more try-
ing to force changes on her and wondering why nothing seemed to
help. Now I can set boundaries, detach with love, and focus on my
actions and attitudes. My changed attitudes have helped me recover
from my disease.
Alcoholism is a disease that affects the whole family. Even without
a drinking problem, the examples I learned from my father affected
how I related to my own children. With God's guidance and Al-
(Continued on page 2)
Thank you to the members below who are now
serving in service positions:
Renee — Institutions Coordinator
Christine — Public Outreach
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June Family Recovery Night
Saturday, June 25th
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
1844 E. Dana Ave. — Mesa
5:30 — Fellowship
7:00 — Al-Anon and AA Speakers
Babysitting available during the speakers only
Step 6:
Were entirely ready to have God remove
all these defects of character.
Concept 6:
The Conference acknowledges the primary
administrative responsibility of the Trustees.
Tradition 6:
Our Family Groups ought never endorse, finance
or lend our name to any outside enterprise, lest
problems of money, property and prestige divert
us from our primary spiritual aim. Although a
separate entity, we should always co-operate
with Alcoholics Anonymous.
Anon's people and program to help me, I now
have a much better relationship with my children.
Although I am far from perfect, the people close
to me can see improvement.
Things could be worse. I could still be making the
same mistakes that previously failed me several
times already. I could be trying to direct the lives
of the people around me. I could be dwelling on
the past or worrying about the future. Or I can
focus on making today a better day and making
myself a better person. I have the choice of living
the old way, or learning from Al-Anon. Thank
God it's Al-Anon.
— Chuy, District 13
(Continued from page 1)
Announcing...
New Monthly Speaker Meeting
Everyone is welcome to join us
and hear experience, strength,
and hope on the
4th Monday of every month
at the “Changed Attitudes”
Al-Anon Family Group meeting:
7:00 p.m.
Desert Palm United Church of Christ,
1230 E. Guadalupe Rd,, Tempe.
From the Literature Coordinator
Al-Anon Faces Alcoholism 2017 will be
available on September 1st. Orders must
be placed early. If any groups want this
ordered, please let the literature coordinator
know before June 15th. Contact:
litcoordinator@al-anoneastvalley.org
The more we order,
the lower the prices will be.
— Tammi
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Save the Date!
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Winter Extravaganza
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church
1844 E. Dana Ave. — Mesa
Woman finds recovery from father’s
drinking and abuse
When I was just seven years old, like many little
girls, I danced with my father by stepping on his
shoes as he glided me around the room. He was
tall and straight; everyone said he looked like
Bing Crosby when he was younger. I remember
viewing the world from atop his shoulders. I felt
protected and even cherished; I was his first
daughter.
I remember my father teaching me to ride a bicy-
cle. I was left-handed and had insisted on ped-
dling backwards, falling off when it suddenly
stopped. He quietly explained to me that even
though it seemed right to me to peddle back-
wards, forward would take me where I wanted to
go.
As I grew older, alcohol took my place in my fa-
ther’s life. My dad had a tough time holding onto
a job; he spent most evenings at the corner bar.
My mother became quieter and quieter.
As time went on, my mother and father began a
large family. Within the next ten years, my mom
had five more children. We moved to the city and
my dad found work at a hospital in the supply
department. He made little money that was con-
sumed by the size of his growing family. I don’t
know how he managed to afford to keep drink-
ing, but he did.
The violence and moral decay started when I was
around ten years old. He and Mom started
fighting physically. Then he started on us chil-
dren—beatings, humiliations, servitude, and fi-
nally sexual abuse. My sisters and my mentally
retarded brother suffered the most. As the eldest
at home (my older brother had joined the Air
Force), I tried hard to protect my siblings and
myself.
I was terrified of my dad just as my mother was.
With terror came hatred and all-consuming fear. I
forgot about the man whose shoes I danced on,
whose shoulders I rode on, the gentle teacher
whom I had loved. That fear and hatred lasted
until I stumbled into Al-Anon.
I fell into mental illness. I was hospitalized and
treated for depression and posttraumatic stress
disorder. In therapy, I spoke of my feelings about
my father for the first time.
The therapist gave me a list of Al-Anon meetings
and asked me to attend one. At first I was dead-
set against going. Then as I began to feel worse, I
decided to take her advice. On my way to my first
Al-Anon meeting, I dug my nails into my legs; I
was so very frightened.
The more I went, the more I listened, but I just
could not let go of the hatred I carried for so long.
It had become a part of my everyday thoughts.
The person whom I had asked to become my
Sponsor suggested I go to an open A.A. meeting.
The thought made me ill, but I decided to go.
I met men and women struggling to recover.
Shaking their hands was the first time since I had
left home that I had allowed myself to be around
anyone who had a drinking problem. I touched
real people who were trying hard to overcome
alcoholism.
The last year of his life I was able to once again
see him as a human being.
Unfortunately, my dad never found help before
he died.
But Al-Anon has saved my sanity, helped me re-
connect with my Higher Power, and released me
from the hatred that I carried far too long. I’ve
made my peace with my Dad, even though it
came after his death.
By Diana B., Illinois
This article can be found online at the Al-Anon
website at: http://al-anon.org/woman-finds-
recovery-from-fathers-drinking-and-abuse
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Seeking grateful Al-Anon members to volunteer in
service positions at E.V.I.C.
Alateen Coordinator Archives Coordinator Website Coordinator
Anyone interested in an open
coordinator position may email Nancy at office@al-anoneastvalley.org
OR call the EVIC office at 480-969-6144
OR attend the next EVIC Business Meeting
on Tuesday, April 26th, at 7 p.m. at the EVIC Office, 1320 E. Broadway.
Did you know . . .?
How Al-Anon Works and Courage to
Change are both available in electronic
format on Kindle and iBooks. The newest,
Courage to Change, comes in two parts that
must be purchased separately.
Al-Anon members now can have
electronic access to two great
readers wherever and whenever
we need via smartphone, PC,
or Mac!
New Beginners Al-Anon Family Group Meeting
Thursday @ 10:00 a.m. Our Savior’s Lutheran Church 612 S. Ellsworth Rd., Mesa, AZ
Use the south entrance to the church and the meeting is in the library,
first door on your left.
Short on time?
Having a hard
time getting out?
Try a phone meeting!
New Time! Monday Night New Horizons
7:00-8:00 p.m.
1320 E. Broadway, Mesa (EVIC office)
Please help us keep this long-running group alive. Old member, please come
back. New members, please join us!
Participation is the key to harmony!
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From Nancy E.,
Manager at the E.V.I.C. Office –
Thank you to everyone who has come to the
E.V.I.C office to attend meetings, get infor-
mation, and buy literature. We are currently
staffed during the following hours:
Monday: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Thursday: 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Friday: 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Anyone willing to volunteer to fill in any
of the openings above may contact
Nancy at 480-969-6144 or 480-832-5611
or email her at office@al-anoneastvalley.org
Call ahead to make sure we are
here if you want to come in!
We are looking for used Al-Anon books that
we can resell for half price. We have a some
gently-used books available for purchase.
We need your help!!
Volunteers needed to work at the EVIC office for either the
morning (9:30-1:00) or afternoon (1:00-4:30) shift on Friday.
Volunteers will be trained and there is an office worker’s notebook to refer to.
Your duties will include: answering the phone selling literature fielding questions distributing materials
Feeling energetic and want to do more work at the office? You can:
vacuum and clean up organize literature spruce up the place
Feeling like you’ve got a lot of your own things to do? You can:
read a book or write a letter knit or sew bring your laptop or tablet —
we’ve got wi-fi!
Call Nancy at 480-969-6144 or 480-832-5611
!
HOLA!
We welcome our new
Spanish meetings to E.V.I.C.
Lois AFG
Wednesday and Friday night
7:00-8:30 p.m.
1320 E. Broadway Rd. — Suite #109
Share your experience, strength, and hope. Sub-
mit your story to news@al-anoneastvalley.org
If you want to share but need some help, I can
assist. Let’s work together to help others!
— Marty M.
Would you like to receive the
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The Message Carrier is published after each
AWSC and Assembly and carries all the
reports from Area Officers, Coordinators, and
Districts Representatives.
You may request a print and/or electronic
copy by contacting the
newsletter distributor at:
newsletterdistrib@al-
anon-az.org. Links to
previous issues are avail-
able on the Area website
at al-anon-az.org in the
Members section. You
may also subscribe from
there.