Anna H. Alateen

Anna H. Alateen

Interested in the personal battles against addiction? This talk from Anna H., shared on Recovery Radio Network, follows her journey from a chaotic childhood in Ukraine to finding safety and support through Alateen. You’ll hear how Anna grew up with two alcoholic parents, a mostly absent mum, and a dad who was often drunk and sometimes violent. She recalls being taken into state care with her sisters, moving through three orphanages, and becoming suicidal by six and a half.

One tiny cross her sister secured from a missionary became her lifeline: “That was the first present I had ever gotten… it proved to me that my sister truly does love me.” Anna describes being adopted by Terry and Bruce and arriving in the United States extremely malnourished, then being taken to her first Alateen meeting, where she hid behind a big red coat for weeks.

Over ten years in Alateen, she says she went from shutting down all feelings to slowly learning to trust, grieve, and speak honestly. She’s clear about the stakes: “Without Alateen and the support of Al-Anon members I would not be here.” She talks about using programme tools at school, in ROTC drill team, on the golf course, and in peer mediation.

Service is a big theme too; she’s been a Kentucky Alateen state representative and wants to become an Alateen sponsor at 21 so she can "give back all that Alateen has done for me." The episode especially speaks to parents and grandparents in recovery. Anna challenges them gently but firmly: if AA or Al-Anon has helped them, why wouldn’t they offer the same help to their children?

As she puts it, Alateen “takes care of my emotional and spiritual needs,” and insisting kids attend might quite literally save their lives. If you’re wondering whether family recovery programmes matter for young people, this heartfelt story may give you a lot to think about.