Videos From ACOAs

Some recent, bravely revealing "shares" from adult children of alcoholics/dysfunctional parents on Youtube. These people chose not to remain anonymous and post these videos for the world to see, in the hopes they can be of help to others.

Thanos




Katie




Phillip






Check out the Orange County ACA website at: Orange County Adult Children

Letting Go Of The Past

"We cannot change anything until we accept it. Condemnation does not liberate, it oppresses."
~Carl Jung



Reprinted from: http://www.e-self-help.com/adult-children-in-alcoholics/

The process for letting go of a childhood where a person had one or more alcoholic parents varies from person to person. Some individuals bounce back with a resilience that seems to come from nowhere. Others require professional help getting over the past.

It can be done. Having a childhood with one or more alcoholic parents does not doom you to a lifetime of emotional distance and confusing emotions being triggered at every turn. The goal of realizing all the possible consequences of such a childhood is not to foster a feeling of powerlessness but of hope. It is in the awareness of the underlying mechanisms of dysfunction that it can be undone.

Silence was a large part of the problem for children who grew up in an alcoholic home. Feelings were not expressed. They were covered up by alcohol and then buried in shame and fear. It is in the uncovering and open recognition of these feelings that truths of the past can be spoken.

When these truths are spoken, they lose their power. Their power resides in their silence, in the shame and fear that protect them. Their power can be taken away. A painful past can be healed. Looking at what was wrong with the past helps you to realize what must be done to make the present right.

Check out the Orange County ACA website at: Orange County Adult Children