Is Al-Anon religious?

No. Al-Anon calls itself a spiritual fellowship, not a religious one, and members of all faiths, or none, are welcome. A group that meets in a church or other religious building pays rent there and is not affiliated with any religious group.

Does Al-Anon cost anything?

There are no dues or fees. Most groups pass a basket for voluntary contributions, and members give what they can afford so the group can pay rent and provide literature.

Is Al-Anon only for alcohol?

Al-Anon is for people affected by someone else's drinking. If your worry is someone else's drug use, Nar-Anon is the fellowship for people affected by someone else's addiction.

Alateen is Al-Anon's group for young people, mostly teenagers. Alateen meetings are open only to teens, and some also welcome pre-teens. Al-Anon's meeting pages include an Alateen search.

What if I'm not ready for a meeting?

You don't have to decide whether you want to become a member. Al-Anon suggests visiting a variety of meetings just to gather information, and electronic meetings online and by phone let you listen from home.

Will anyone know I went?

Meetings are confidential. Members don't disclose whom they see or what they hear, and they won't approach you outside the room in a way that compromises your privacy.

What is Al-Anon? Support for the people who love someone who drinks

Al-Anon is a free mutual support program for people whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking, whether or not that person admits a problem or seeks help.¹

In short

Free: No dues or fees. Most groups pass a basket for voluntary contributions.²
Confidential: Members don't disclose whom they see or what they hear at meetings.²
Who it's for: Family and friends of someone who drinks. Teens have Alateen.¹
In New Jersey: NJ Al-Anon's meeting search covers the state, including NJ electronic groups.⁹

Reviewed against public records, October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.

Line drawing of overlapping circles, one large group and two pairs, on deep green

Who is Al-Anon for, and does your person have to stop drinking first?

Al-Anon is for anyone whose life has been affected by someone else's drinking. Your person does not have to admit a problem, stop drinking or get help for you to go.¹

Al-Anon's own literature puts it plainly: alcoholism affects the entire family, and everyone who has contact with the drinker is affected.³ NJ Al-Anon describes alcoholism as a family illness.⁹

Worried about drug use instead? Nar-Anon is the family group for that; see which group is for whom.

Al-Anon members include²

Parents
Children
Spouses and partners
Brothers and sisters
Other relatives
Friends
Employers and employees
Coworkers

How does Al-Anon work?

Members meet as equals and share their own experience. No one is in a position to give advice or direction to anyone else.⁴

Peers, not professionals
Everyone in the room has been affected by someone else's drinking. Members share their own experience rather than professional advice.^1,4
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Al-Anon's program of recovery is based on the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous.⁵
Spiritual, not religious
Members of all faiths, or none, are welcome. A group that meets in a church pays rent there and is not affiliated with it.^2,4
Confidential
Members won't approach you outside the room in a way that compromises your privacy.^2,4
You didn't cause it
Members learn that they did not cause the disease of alcoholism, cannot control it and cannot cure it.⁷
Every meeting is different
Each group has the autonomy to run as its members choose, so it's worth trying more than one.⁴

What happens at your first Al-Anon meeting?

You can walk into any Al-Anon meeting without an appointment, referral or fee, and you don't have to say anything.^2,4

Pick any meeting
In person, online or by phone. No advance notice or written referral is needed.^2,4
Listen if you want
It's your choice to speak. If you'd rather listen, you can say "I pass."^2,4
The Steps are read
A meeting usually opens with a reading of the Twelve Steps. Newcomers are usually given literature and a local meeting list.^2,4
Try six meetings
Al-Anon recommends trying at least six different meetings before you decide whether it helps you.⁴

Al-Anon, Alateen, Nar-Anon or AA: which group is for whom?

Al-Anon and Alateen are for the family and friends of someone who drinks; Nar-Anon is for people affected by someone else's addiction; AA is for the person who drinks.^1,6

Al-Anon, Alateen, Nar-Anon and Alcoholics Anonymous compared
Group	Who it is for	Where to find it
Al-AnonThis page	Adults whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. As early as 1939, families and friends of alcoholics went to AA meetings with them.^1,8	NJ Al-Anon meeting search (opens in a new tab)
Alateen	Young people, mostly teenagers, affected by someone else's drinking. Meetings are open only to teens; some welcome pre-teens. The first Alateen group registered in 1957.^1,2,8	Al-Anon's meeting pages, including Alateen (opens in a new tab)
Nar-Anon	People affected by someone else's addiction. Narateen is its program for teens.⁶	nar-anon.org (opens in a new tab)
Alcoholics Anonymous	The person who drinks.	Our guide to AA

Al-Anon's Steps come from AA's. For how the Twelve Steps work across fellowships, see how 12-step programs work.

At a glance

Al-Anon and Alateen in four facts

1939As early as 1939, families and friends of alcoholics went to AA meetings with them
1957The first Alateen group registered; Alateen is for young people, mostly teenagers
6 meetingsAl-Anon recommends trying at least six different meetings before you decide
District 3Bergen and Passaic counties make up NJ Al-Anon's District 3

Sources: Al-Anon Family Groups, Al-Anon History, What Is Al-Anon and Alateen? and Al-Anon Meetings; NJ Al-Anon Family Groups, Contact.

Does Al-Anon help? What research on newcomers found

In a U.S. study of 230 Al-Anon newcomers, the 97 still attending six months later reported more gains than the 133 who had stopped, most of all in learning to handle problems caused by the drinker.¹¹

Timko, Laudet and Moos, 2016 · 230 newcomers

97 of 230

were still attending at six months. Compared with those who stopped, they reported more gains in handling problems due to the drinker, better well-being and functioning, and less verbal or physical abuse.¹¹

Timko et al., 2013 · 623 attendees

623 surveyed

359 newcomers and 264 longer-term members. The members were more satisfied with their quality of life than the newcomers were.¹²

Both studies surveyed people who chose to attend, across the United States. They show an association, not proof that Al-Anon caused the change, and neither reports results for New Jersey separately.

How to find an Al-Anon meeting in New Jersey and Bergen County

Use NJ Al-Anon's meeting search, which includes electronic groups registered in New Jersey, or call Al-Anon's meeting line.^9,2

Al-Anon meeting information: 1-888-425-2666 1-888-4AL-ANON, for the US, Canada and Puerto Rico²
NJ Al-Anon Family Groups: 888-944-5678¹⁰

These numbers belong to Al-Anon, not to NJ Sober Living. Bergen and Passaic counties make up NJ Al-Anon's District 3.¹⁰ We don't list meeting times or places: groups change them, and the official finders stay current.

Al-Anon while your person is in rehab or a recovery home

Al-Anon is support for you. It runs separately from your person's treatment and from the house they live in, and you can go whether they are still drinking, in treatment or living in a sober home.¹

Four recovery homes in Bergen CountyWaldwick, Old Tappan and two in Closter.
Staff and licensingClass F licensed by NJ DCA: a live-in operator and an operator on site 7 p.m.–7 a.m., plus house management and behavioral health technicians.
Rides to evening treatmentResidents attend a licensed outpatient program nearby, and the house drives them there and back.

Call (201) 231-1066 How placement works

Questions families ask about Al-Anon

Al-Anon is for you. The house is for them.

Find a New Jersey meeting (opens in a new tab)

If someone is in danger, call 911. For a suicide or mental health crisis, call or text 988. SAMHSA's National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357, is a free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral and information service.¹⁴

Sources, checked October 2026

Al-Anon Family Groups. What Is Al-Anon and Alateen?
Al-Anon Family Groups. Frequently Asked Questions
Al-Anon Family Groups. What Is Alcoholism?
Al-Anon Family Groups. Al-Anon Meetings
Al-Anon Family Groups. The Legacies
Nar-Anon Family Groups. What is Nar-Anon?
Al-Anon Family Groups. Frequently Asked Questions by Teens
Al-Anon Family Groups. Al-Anon History
NJ Al-Anon Family Groups. Home and Meetings
NJ Al-Anon Family Groups. Contact
Timko C, Laudet A, Moos RH. Al-Anon newcomers: benefits of continuing attendance for six months. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2016;42(4):441-449. PMC4976777
Timko C, Cronkite R, Kaskutas LA, Laudet A, Roth J, Moos RH. Al-Anon family groups: newcomers and members. J Stud Alcohol Drugs. 2013;74(6):965-976. PMC3817053
Al-Anon/Alateen North Jersey Information Services. Al-Anon / Alateen Northern New Jersey
SAMHSA. National Helpline