Adult Children of Alcoholics

Adult children of alcoholics long bear the scars and affects of having grown up in a dysfunctional, unhealthy home environment where alcoholism was prevalent in the family.

People often forget the effects of alcoholism on children, even more so how many of the scars formed in childhood stay with one into adulthood and end up manifesting in all sorts of other destructive and unhealthy ways

Being brought up in an environment where tension, fear, anxiety and insecurity tend to be the predominant emotional undercurrents, rather than love, peace and harmony ... means that as a child of an alcoholic we’ve never really been able to develop emotionally and so end up developing all sorts of coping mechanisms that do more harm than good.

• We often feel isolated and uncomfortable with others – and get the feeling of being different.
• Have difficulty with intimate, secure relationships, which can lend itself to being drawn into codependent relationships – often with another alcoholic or someone we feel we need to subconsciously rescue.
• Can often be seen as serious and struggle to have fun and let go. Over developed sense of responsibility.
• Overly loyal, often seeking approval and affirmation from others
• Suppress real feelings and so struggle to express ourselves

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Unburden and Share How Being an Adult Child of an Alcoholic Has Affected You and Your Life.

Whether all or only some of these traits are true, you’ll know that having been brought up in an alcoholic household has affected the quality of your life as an adult. So the question then becomes what do you do about it?

An organisation, Adult Children of Alcholics (adultchildren.org) has been created especially to help you heal the wounds of the past. Therapy and spiritual practices like yoga and meditation are also great ways to help in letting go and healing dysfunctional and unhealthy behavioural patterns caused as a result of growing up in an alcoholic family.