The author, who was raised in a family with an alcoholic father, describes her experience with the self-help group Al-Anon (a group for children of alcoholics associated with Alcoholics Anonymous). In this group she found acceptance, a community of peers, and help freely given in a society otherwise dominated by the market economy. The group provided an environment in which the members could face their problems and get help from one another without blaming themselves or others for their limitations. While acknowledging that this self-help movement for children of alcoholics has some excesses and limitations regarding how far it can take group members in their recovery, the author believes that it is an important component in a comprehensive recovery program that includes professional therapy. It is a distinctive component of recovery, because some professionals have failed to grapple with the realities of the lives of those who have grown up in families with alcoholics.