Newcomers
Welcome!
Al-Anon is a fellowship of relatives and friends of alcoholics who believe their lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. Here in the UAE, many of us are far from home — without the family networks we might otherwise lean on. Al-Anon UAE brings together people from all nationalities and backgrounds who share a common experience, offering a safe and confidential space to find understanding, support, and hope.
By sharing common experiences and applying the Al-Anon principles, families and friends of alcoholics can bring positive changes to their own lives — whether or not the alcoholic acknowledges a drinking problem or seeks help.
Alateen, a part of Al-Anon, is a support group for young people — mostly teenagers — whose lives have been affected by someone else's drinking. Living as an expat family in the UAE can add its own pressures, and Alateen gives young people a space to meet others who truly understand what they are going through. Al-Anon and Alateen members come from every walk of life: they are parents, children, spouses, partners, brothers, sisters, friends, and colleagues of people with a drinking problem.
How does Al-Anon work?
There is no magic formula that enables you to make someone stop drinking. Alcoholism affects everyone around it in ways that go far beyond the surface. What Al-Anon can do is help you learn to cope — to focus on your own well-being and find a degree of peace, regardless of what the drinker chooses to do.
Our meetings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi bring together people from many different nationalities and faith backgrounds. Whatever has brought you here, you will find people who understand. We have been helping families and friends in crisis for many years, and the UAE community has been a lifeline for countless people living and working in this region.
We find understanding and support when we share our common experience with one another. Some of us are here because a spouse or partner has struggled with alcoholism. For others, it is a parent, a child, or a close friend. Many of us came here thinking the problem was just ours — until we met others going through the same thing.
At our meetings you will hear that no situation is unique. We have all felt the isolation, the worry, and the confusion that come with loving someone who drinks. By supporting each other — across cultures, languages, and life situations — we slowly learn that there is support, there is help, and there is a solution.
Al-Anon members come to understand that problem drinking is a family illness — one that affects everyone close to the drinker. Through attending meetings and working the programme, members gain insight into their own role in the situation and are better placed to make positive choices for themselves and their families going forward.
All meetings are anonymous and confidential. Nothing shared inside a meeting leaves the room. You are not required to speak, identify yourself, or commit to returning. You are simply welcome.
We are delighted to welcome you into our fellowship and to share our experience, strength, and hope with you.