INTRODUCTION

We who have turned to Caregivers Anonymous have often done so unable to believe in the possibility of change and unable to go on as we have before. We feel over-burdened with responsibilities and alone. There are times when some of us can act arrogant, smug, self-righteous, and dominating. We come to Caregivers Anonymous, however, because we want and need help.

While we may have been driven to Caregivers Anonymous by the overwhelm of providing care to another, we soon come to know that our own thinking has to change before we can make a new and successful approach to living. It is in Caregivers Anonymous that we learn to deal with our obsession, our anxiety, our anger, our denial, and our feelings of guilt. It is through the fellowship that we ease our emotional burdens by sharing our experience, strength and hope with others. Little by little, we come to realize at our meetings that much of our discomfort comes from our attitudes. We begin to change these attitudes and learn about our responsibilities to ourselves. We discover feelings of self-worth and love, and we grow spiritually. The emphasis begins to be lifted from those to whom we provide care and placed where we do have some power – over our own lives.