Al-Anon, the companion program for people whose lives are affected by someone else’s drinking, was founded in 1951 by Wilson’s wife Lois. Their central concept is that by applying the 12 Steps in a peer-organized setting, without leaders or counselors, the person affected by someone else’s drinking can improve their own life even if the qualifier (an Al-Anon term for the alcohol-abusing person whose behavior is affecting others) continues to drink. Al-Anon literature focuses not on the alcoholic, but on the Al-Anon member.
